Home Again
by TheLastPilot
Summary: Loke thought he had a handle on love until he realized he knows next to nothing about the real thing, but that won't stop him for being there for Lucy every second he can because what he does know how to do is catch her when shes falling.
1. A Race

A cold breeze wrapped around the hurried boots of a buxom blonde beauty, stomping ungracefully across damp cobbled streets on her way home. Her mind pictured her warm, dry apartment and a hot soothing bath before the storm set in, timed just right so she could sink into the water as the rain poured down outside. A bright happy feeling settled in her chest as the rain drops started to fall, slow and cold, raising goosebumps on her skin. She picked up the pace, a giggle bubbling up and spilling out as she enjoyed her little game. It was a race now.

Lucy Heartfilia burst into a run, speeding precariously along the edge of a canal in her hurry to reach home. She understood the risk, that any foul step could send her plummeting into the freezing water but it made her race more fun, knowing that at any second she could lose just pushed her faster and faster. 'Home stretch!' she cheered in her mind, extending her stride as she prepared to leap from the canal edge and onto the street, but she never quite made it that far. A sharp shock of panic climbed her skin as the heel of her boot caught the textured crack separating one block from the next. Her momentum from her intended leap worked against her as she pin wheeled her arms to correct her mistake, pitching her body out towards the freezing water. Just as she started to scream, doomed to fall, what she took to be a flash of lightning blinded her and all at once she felt the strong secure grip of a man. She clung to her savior desperately, still at risk of falling, and her hero pulled her tightly against him and with one heave pulled the both of them back onto the street.

Lucy was still fighting the urge to continue her scream when she felt the deep attractive chuckle spread through the chest she was currently pressed against, and a sense of ease enveloped her. She knew who this was.

She lifted her head from the man's chest and stared into azure tinted shades protecting bright green eyes, thoroughly entertained. "Loke," she breathed out, smiling up at him, "thank you."

"I couldn't let you fall could I? Unless it's for me of course," his handsome face broke into a flirtatious grin, only the ever so slightly to sharp canines and the pair of cat ears jutting out from long ginger locks giving him away as inhuman. He was more than tempted to keep his beautiful master pressed against him, but with one glance up at the sky he decided to take her health into account over his own desires, as a good gentleman would. "Shall we continue your race princess? I think you can still win if we hurry."

Lucy gasped sharply, pushing away from her loyal spirit and exclaimed, "You're right!" but despite her rush she hesitated, looking at her friend for half a moment before beaming up at him and grabbing his hand. "Let's go!" she shouted, and set off in a sprint, tugging Loke along behind.

The shocked lion spirit was suddenly apart of a mad dash to beat the storm and he couldn't help but laugh joyously at Lucy's childish game. Her mood was infectious, her happiness easily crossing the connection formed between spirit and master and affecting him as well. He could stop it of course but why would he, the opportunity to be a part of his lovely owner's fun was too good to resist. As they closed in on the spirit mage's home Loke wondered in awe at how such a happy organic moment had landed right in his lap, and even his playboy mind set was at a loss for any smooth gestures or pick-up lines to try on his source of infatuation. 'Just a friend today,' he decided, not wanting to risk ruining his master's mood with his flirting. On this rainy day he was just her friend, and if moments like this was what it meant to be her friend he would accept it gladly.

Lucy crashed into the door that connected the street to the stairwell up to her apartment, fumbling for her keys as the drops became more and more frequent. Too caught up in the game now to wait for Lucy, Loke bent his legs and leaped up to the ledge outside Lucy's window, clambering inside with a call of, "I'll get the top door!" hoping to shave off as many seconds as possible. When he got inside he was greeted with a wave of warmth and scent that could only be described as 'Lucy'. He launched over her bed completely, mindful of his wet shoes, and landed on the hardwood floor, making it to the door just in time to open it for Lucy, who had just begun to search for her next key. "Nice one!" she shouted, rushing past him to get to her bathroom and start the tub filling with water. She pulled her hand back from the tap and steadied her haggard breathing from the run, then skipped happily out to the common room where Loke waited.

"I think we were just in time," her voice colored with her little victory, "thanks for catching me. I owe you one!" she giggled, her smile still wreaking havoc on her spirit, unbeknownst to her.

"I'll take seeing you so happy as a reward any day princess," and he meant it with every fiber of his being.

There was a space of silence where Lucy stretched her arms, pulling her tight fitting cream colored sweater over damp hair and discarding it, along with her shocks and shoes. She sighed out happily, placing her gatekeys gently onto her desk and patting them absentmindedly, her eyes trailing from the open bathroom door to the man still stood by the door just in time to catch the sad look on his face before he hid it with a grin.

"I'm glad you're having a good day beautiful and even happier that I could join in for a little while, but I should probably get going. Unless you wanted to invite me in," gesturing to the bathroom with a suggestive smirk, unable to help himself.

Lucy's face heated at his playful remark but it was overshadowed by her sudden desire for company. A rainy day was fun and all and she had looked forward to a quiet bath listening to the rain, but there were other ways to enjoy the storm.

"Actually," she spoke up, cutting off his exit, "yes."

Loke froze, choking on his goodbye as he stared at her with wide eyes and a red face while she just stood there, staring at him with half lidded eyes and a small smile. Her hair was clinging to her neck from the dampness and her sleeveless turtleneck top hugged her body as she closed the distance, before her expression completely shifted into a playful smile and she said "Gotcha!"

He breathed out with a huff and glared at her half-heartedly. "That's cruel love, pretending to want me to stay. I'm hurt how could you."

She laughed and gave him that earnest expression that told him she meant every word when she said "I wasn't lying about wanting you to stay, I really do want your company, I was just teasing you is all."

He was surprised. 'And I thought I was the one who needed to watch the flirtations. She really does want me to stay?'

"Did you want an audience? I would be more than happy to-"

"No perv!" she scolded but she was still smiling. "Maybe we can just stick our feet in? It might seem weird but I always love listening to the rain, and having a friend to enjoy it with sounds even better," and she gave him that happy closed-eye Lucy smile that sold him on it instantly.

"I'll go change!" he exclaimed, and vanished in a flash of light. 'At least he's enthusiastic,' she thought, turning on her heel and running to her room, stripping on the way. She really was giddy today but who could blame her. The weather was soothing, she was warm and happy, her mission had gone well and her lion spirit was keeping her company through the storm.

She stood there in her bra and underwear, glaring at her closet like she was expecting something to jump out at her, but nothing seemed to grasp her interest. She knew EXACTLY what she WOULD wear if it wasn't covered in blue cat hair from Happy's cat nap in her laundry pile, so she just settled for a flattering pair of white cotton shorts and a green tank top. She pulled the dark green cloth over her head not a moment too soon when the shift in the shadows and the playful shout of "Princess!" announced Loke's return.

"I'm coming!" she called back, brushing quickly through her hair to tame it, "Can you get the water? I'm going to do something really quick.

She crossed quickly to the closest window and cracked it open, laying down a towel to catch the rain drops and repeating the process for every other window near the bathroom. It would really cool down the house but she wanted to hear the rain. The sound of pouring water had stopped and was replaced by the quiet, contented humming of her spirit. She walked slowly towards the bathroom, trying to give herself the extra time to recognize the tune but nothing came to mind. 'Must be a spirit world tune.'

His voice was nice, even if it was just humming, it was soothing to listen to. Unfortunately he stopped once she entered.

He was seated on the left side of the tub from the entrance, already sinking his feet into the steaming water with a smile on his face. She was pleased to see he had maintained the longer version of his ginger hair despite his preference of short hair with casual clothes, wearing an outfit she recognized from the S-Class trials on Tenrou Island. "I like that look on you, casual suits you just as well as fancy," she offered, hoping her tone came off as friendly as she intended it. You never knew with Loke. "Thank you, saying the same to you seems unnecessary since it obvious how you shine in every outfit you wear. You'd think white shorts and a tank top were fit for a red carpet with you in them."

"Loke!" she blurted out, as if his flattery was offensive somehow, but he knew her well enough to recognize when he had just succeeded in flustering her. She settled into place opposite him quickly, forgetting her embarrassment in her rush for the warmth the bath water promised, sighing in relief when she lowered her feet. There was a time of silence but both were smiling peacefully through it, listening closely as the drumming of the rain built and built into a dull and distant roar. There was a clap of thunder that rolled through the air, and both Lucy and Loke turned slightly towards the door on instinct. However Lucy did not miss the adorable sight that was watching the cat ear on the right side of Loke's head swivel to catch the sound.

"That thunder must be nearby, that was pretty loud." He turned his gaze back to his master, only to see her with her hands to her mouth trying to cover a smile far too big for such a small lady. "What's up?" he inquired, becoming slightly uneasy by the intensity of her gaze, focused just above him. He fought the urge to check if something was behind him knowing there wasn't, when Lucy whispered, "They're so cute."

"What is?" he asked, only to receive Lucy raising her hands to her head to mimic cat ears in response, with a quiet "Meow" for emphasis.

"Ah," he replied, purposely swinging both ears to either side of his head in a manner he knew she would enjoy, "these guys."

She squealed in delight, her ecstatic bouncing disrupting the bath water and making her lion spirit laugh. "You can move them and everything! I mean I knew they were real but they really are real!" Suddenly an idea occurred to her, and her cheeks tinged an attractive shade of pink. "Um… Loke?"

"Yes love?" he managed between chuckles, intrigued by her sudden shyness.

"I was wondering… um… could I maybe…". She didn't seem to have the courage to finish, peering up at him with large pleading brown eyes, hoping she was understood without having to say it out loud.

'This is unreal, she's acting like a little girl, and it's so cute.' Loke's thoughts were stuck in a loop for a moment before he stuttered out a, "Y-yeah sure."

As she stood and sat close to him, scooting right up against him he was faced with the most intense curiosity in her eyes, coupled with irresistibly cute shyness. After taking a second to soak in her expression, he grinned at her and titled his head down expectantly, knowing she was curious what they felt like. She stretched slightly to extend her arm out, bringing his face right near her generous bust and testing the true extent of his willpower, when he felt the softest sensation on one of his ears.

The ginger furred ear twitched at the contact, drawing from her the tiniest gasp before she reached out more confidently and gave it a gentle scratch.

The sound that came next formed in a place deep within Loke's body, spreading through his chest and spilling out in a low rolling wave that could only be described, to his horror, as a purr.

He pulled away instantly, ignoring the deep-seated urge to let her continue with a look of pure devastation, faced with an expression from his master that was complete and utter joy.

"You PURRED!" she cried out, overjoyed by what she had discovered but her companion dropped his head in his hands, pushing his glasses up and off and into the water while he moaned out a defeated, "No way, no way did that just happen."

He was humiliated, what the hell was that!? A PURR, REALLY!? But the mourning of his image was interrupted by the return of that gentle but persistent scratching at the base of his ear.

He couldn't stop it, the purr was an instinctual and instant reaction that accompanied the _bliss_ that coursed through him. Any will he had left to fight it vanished and he gave in, leaning into her hand and encouraging her to continue.

"Does that feel good?" Lucy's voice betrayed her fascination, amazed how quickly her powerful and fearsome Zodiac spirit was transformed into a lion, purring wildly and deep to a simple touch. It was the cutest thing she could possibly imagine. She sighed heavily though, knowing she was probably doing irreparable damage to the poor man's ego, and withdrew her hand with a final scratch.

Despite how much of a fuss he made the spirit still had the nerve to pout when she stopped, only to come to his senses and trade it for a humiliated grimace in the blink of an eye.

'I'm sorry," she suddenly apologized, tilting his sulking face towards her, "I couldn't help myself it was just too adorable. I didn't mean to embarrass you, I think it's cute honest. On my word as your wizard."

He let her hold his face in place, using the proximity to evaluate her expression, searching her eyes as if to determine if she was lying and was really making fun of him, even though her promise had already convinced him.

"Still…," he muttered, "I'm supposed to be the ideal man, what kind of man… PURRS" he said it like the word was dirty. Lucy raised an eyebrow at his self-proclamation as the 'ideal man' but let it slide. His ego wasn't in a place to be questioned.

"You're Leo the Lion, and Leo the Lion can do whatever the hell he wants and still get ladies. Are you seriously suggesting the infamous playboy Loke can't use this to his advantage?" She scoffed like it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard, "Yeah right." Lucy clasped her hands together and posed with an obviously staged dreamy look in her eyes, using a high pitched voice to squeal, "Oh Loke! Please let me hold you! Just a little longer Loke~ I want to make you purr oh my handsome prince!"

Impersonating some of the fanatics in his persistent group of admirers was enough to make him chuckle, just the visual of Lucy praising him like a god being pretty hilarious. She wouldn't be caught dead doing it, not that that was what he wanted from her in the end. He just wanted her to be herself.

"Okay okay you made your point," laughing more earnestly now as she rose to return to her side of the tub, twirling and cooing the whole way. "Still," he pressed as she sat down, "if you ever tell the guys I will never forgive you."

"I would never!"

"Oh yeah?"

"You have my word."

"Alright fine."

The storm was in full swing, becoming a lot more powerful then Lucy had anticipated. It shook and pounded at the windows, threatening to break them if they remained partially open. The bathwater had cooled significantly and it was about time to drain the tub regardless, the two friends rising to handle the windows and continuing a game of rapid fire questions they had started almost an hour ago.

"Okay so you said Italian as your favorite TYPE of food but what's your favorite DISH?" Loke called from the living room while Lucy handled her bedroom, collecting the now soaked towel.

"Carbonara!" she replied after a moments consideration. "What's your favorite holiday?"

"Lion's day!" he responded immediately, meeting Lucy in the main room.

"What's Lion's day? I've never heard of it."

"It's a celestial thing," he clarified, sprawling out on Lucy's couch since he was already feeling pretty at home. "It's the closest thing to a birthday I have and it celebrates the first night of the month of Leo in the human world." He was smiling and getting excited as he discussed it. "It's great! There's a ball and everything although the spirits use a lot of holidays as an excuse for a ball. Okay my turn. Who's your favorite spirit?"

His question earned him a pillow to the face and a severely irritated "I Told you the first two times you asked I don't have one!"

He laughed and got up to dodge the next pillow, running into the kitchen for cover. "Okay fine what's your favorite flower?"

Lucy halted in her pursuit, holding a third pillow while she considered it. "Orange poppies," she decided, pleased with her answer and allowing Leo to exit the kitchen unharmed for the time being. "Yours?"

"Star roses probably, there's a lot near my home." When she looked at him in confusion he explained, "They are dark navy blue roses with gold streaks through the petals. I'll bring you some sometime."

"Oh please do those sound so pretty! Okay it's your turn."

"Hmm… Can I ask you something personal? Or would you rather not?" Loke shoved his hands in his pockets, regretting his curiosity as he saw her think it over. 'I shouldn't pry,' his brain scolded itself, but to his surprise she nodded with a small smile.

"Well uh… I was wondering what your mother was like."

The sadness that flashed through his eyes dug at him and he felt like a menace.

"Why? I'm just curious, it's okay that you asked," quickly comforting him, knowing his habit of guilt.

"I've heard her name before from Capricorn and Cancer and a bunch of others back before I was banished. It was at another silly ball, and all the zodiacs were asked to be present even if we had different masters. She was fairly well known, because she was kind, but Cancer isn't the best at sharing and neither is the old goat."

Lucy's smile soothed his worries a bit, the sadness still lingering in her eyes. "It makes me happy that the spirits knew of her. She was always kind to them. It was her who taught me to respect the celestial world as equals and friends." Lucy's eyes drifted towards an oak wood box sitting on a shelf collecting dust. It had been some time since she last wrote her mother, waiting for something important to share. He waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts, staring at her with his full attention.

"She was beautiful and kind, and her voice was… soft. It was proper and manicured but you could tell she wasn't born into money, always the perfect Lady. At least when others were looking. When it was just us, she was so much more relaxed and fun. I remember her saying once, 'in public I'm a lady and in private I'm a friend, but _always_ am I your mother.'" The memory made her feel at peace, not feeling like her past was under scrutiny at all while she relived her happy memories of her mother.

Loke smiled sadly, doing his best to show he cared about how she felt and was being as respectful as he good given the intimate line of questioning.

"She was an amazing cook," Lucy forged on, "not that she ever needed to. She would just do it for fun, letting me help in whatever way was safe. I ruined quite a few of her dishes but she never complained. That's how she was, she would look at her child and smile like nothing was wrong while eating some horrid mistake." Lucy's laugh sounded off then, not ringing like it normally would.

Lucy's voice was quieter now. "That's how she was. Wouldn't say a word if she knew it would upset me. I wish she had though." Lucy looked at her hands, moving to sit down on one side of the couch which Loke quickly copied.

There was a long stretch of silence, where she just looked at her hands as if to dissect them.

"I never even knew she was sick. She never told me… because she knew I was too young to understand. So all at once, just one morning when I left my room I met two servants, asking me to follow them to my father."

She could say no more, fighting to keep from crying. It was an old and numb pain, one she had learned to live with, but she knew it would hurt Loke to see her cry because of something he had asked.

"I'm sorry," she finally offered, looking up at the concerned eyes of her friend, looking at them unobstructed for the first time in a long while, "I guess that was a bit much to share."

"No no!" he blurted out, stunned how she could come to that conclusion. "I was just worried I had upset you, if it's something you want to talk about we can. I'll always listen princess."

She was still for a time before giving him a subdued smile. "It was all a long time ago, but it was hard to lose her."

Loke thought 'hard' was an unfair description for a child losing their mother and their only companion, not that he would dare correct her on how she chose to share it with him.

"So it was just you and your father?" he asked, his voice mimicking hers in a respectful hush.

"It was mostly just me," she amended, surprising him with a seemingly unconscious edge of long forgotten bitterness. "He lost the mother of his child… it changed him, but I guess I've never really blamed him for that. I understood it."

"But that doesn't excuse it."

Lucy nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah… He shut me out, and turned me away any time I wasn't of use. He had it all planned out after she died, treating me like an asset that needed assigning rather than a daughter. I would grow into a proper and presentable woman who could be married off to make a profit, then sire an heir to his fortune and business. He was more the man he was before her death just before his own… It was good to meet that man again."

"So you were alone…" Loke looked away, at anything at all, hating to imagine a little girl abandoned by her father, growing up with no one. He could hear it like a phantom… a little girl crying because she was afraid of a storm with no one to comfort her.

"Not always…" she spoke suddenly, and when he looked at her he saw happiness in her eyes.

"Sometimes," she whispered, "when I was able… my spirits would come to me. And I loved them more deeply then I had loved anyone in the years of living there since my mother's death. They gave me hope that one day… if I was strong enough…" her left hand ghosted over the Fairy Tail emblem on her right, "I wouldn't be alone anymore." Her new smile wiped the last traces of sadness from her face and left him breathless. "And I was right. One day I was brave enough to run, and I wasn't alone anymore. I found Natsu and Happy, and met Erza and Gray and" she hesitated, her cheeks tinted pink "and you."

He laughed quietly, touched to be included though it didn't seem fair. "Not that we ever had much of a conversation at first, what with me running like my life depended on it every time I saw you."

Lucy laughed too, grinning at him, "You're still Fairy Tail family, and now you're my spirit and I'm your wizard. I know you always have my back."

They each looked at the other, both thinking of how grateful they were to have each other, to not be alone.

Loke glanced down, wanting to share something with her too, wanting her to know him more deeply in the same way she had given him.

"I felt alone too, even when I was in the guild," Loke finally said, running a hand through the hair between his ears. "I felt burdened with guilt and anger over… what happened. I could never forgive myself, or so I thought, because I held myself responsible and so did the spirit king. Even so, I felt betrayed by him, for never protecting the spirits of abusive masters and casting me out when _I_ finally did." He didn't realize his hands were shaking until he felt her take them in her own, providing a reassuring pressure, silently telling him to keep going. He took a deep breath. "I was apart from everyone I had ever known and thrown into a world which I knew almost nothing about. The only thing I thought I had figured out was to hide my identity as a Celestial Spirit… because I would only be mistreated. I had the advantage of a humanoid appearance so I lied, and took a new name. Even when I had a home and friends in Fairy Tail I felt separate and alone because I knew I was lying to the people who had been so kind to me. I couldn't tell them of what I had done… I was selfish I guess. I wanted to die with friends."

"Loke…" Lucy whispered, feeling his pain and sadness more potently then she had expected. But she let the feelings pour through their connection, wanting to help lift that old burden by taking some of it on. They were quiet, the storm their only commentary, and Loke looked at their linked hands. Without even stopping to consider what she might think he softly stroked the length of her fingers with his thumb, marveling in the softness. He wondered to himself how he could show such weakness, and still know he would never be judged or abused.

"I guess I just mean I know what it feels like to all at once find home again when you thought you never would."

When he looked at his master he found her staring out at the wild darkness of the storm, her eyes aged, but happy.

"Welcome home Loke… I'm really grateful that we have the chance to have our home together."

He smiled, suddenly glad she was looking away so he could reach up and wipe his eyes without her seeing.

"Me too Princess."

End of Chapter 1


	2. A Gesture

Loke was convinced he could still hear the storm, even though he was now a world away. Despite the fact that it was far more likely his ears had just adjusted to the continuous dull roar he still liked to imagine it was because Lucy could hear the storm, and that somehow they could hear and feel the same things. He craved her company again and fought the urge to return to her side, knowing he shouldn't. He had only left when her eyes drifted shut any time she wasn't actively preventing them from doing so, deciding to say his goodbyes and let her get some rest. He had kept her up long enough.

Even so, he couldn't wait until he was summoned next to see her. Loke frowned to himself, crossly comparing his summons to some of Lucy's other spirits. For fucks sake sometimes Taurus and Virgo were summoned twice in the same _day_ and he was lucky to be summoned twice a week, if that.

'So I'll go through on my own,' he decided, happy once again that he had that ability. 'I should probably have a reason. I would usually just say some line about desperately wanting to see her again but the usual doesn't go over well with her.'

He slid off his bed and paced the long stretch of dark wood that made up the raised platform his bed rested on, rejuvenated by his presence in the spirit world and no longer feeling tired.

'The guild would be a nice excuse to see her. Plus it would be fun to see everyone and maybe pick a fight with one of the guys. No wait I don't know if Lucy would like that… unless they were annoying her or something and then it would probably entertain her. I'll play it by ear."

He was getting more and more excited about his plan, needing more space to walk and extending his stride down to the cool marble floor that ran through a majority of his home.

'Okay,' he continued his train of thought, 'so I'll go to the guild tomorrow morning. Maybe I can look for a solo job for Lucy, and consequently me, to take on. Or I can maybe convince Gray to work me in to one of the team missions. I'm sure he owes me for something. Or get Mira to pull some strings, she always loves playing matchmaker.'

He grinned to himself and lifted a hand to touch one of his ears, wondering if he could do as Lucy suggested and use it to his advantage. It was a significant leg up surprisingly that she knew his little purring secret, because he was sure that she would think of it every time they caught her eye and make her smile. With this in mind he jogged the short distance to the bathroom, examining his hair in the mirror before combing through it with his fingers and shifting some of the strands around, emphasizing the ears. It had to be subtle though, if she developed too much of a 'non-humanoid' image of him in her mind it might make him less appealing to her, but he also wasn't willing to pretend they were the same. Similar yes, compatible yes, but not the same.

Maybe he would call Cancer.

He took a long look at his reflection knowing something was off before he realized he still didn't have his glasses, probably still laying soaking wet at the bottom of Lucy's drained bathtub.

'Oh no,' even his thoughts were occasionally sarcastic, 'I guess I just have to go back to Lucy's another time to get them back. What a tragedy.' And he chuckled happily, pleased for more reasons to see her.

'Well that changes wardrobe then if I don't have them… what do I have.'

He wandered back to his room, staring into his closet and was pleased to note that he would look dashing in almost anything it held, but surprisingly he still felt a strange twinge of anxiety. He always tried to look nice to attract women, but to look nice for a particular woman was something new to him. He found himself wanting to impress her, and that desire made him hesitate.

'Don't be an idiot, you know it doesn't matter as long as you don't show up naked. She doesn't care what you're wearing.' But that thread of reasoning didn't console him, because he _wanted_ her to care, or at least notice. To find him attractive.

'Stop it, just look nice. Girls dig confidence.'

At least he was pretty sure that was true. Lucy made him doubt everything he knew about women. Was he right in thinking that and it was really a thing every girl liked? Or was Lucy once again the exception to everything he thought he had figured out.

He really had no idea.

'Just like the way you look. Lucy likes it when I'm myself, so I should just wear what I like and that will be the end of it.'

So he ended up in a favorite ensemble of his, wisely considering the day ahead of possible missions and wearing a simple but expensive black button up shirt rolled up to the elbows, a white vest, and a silver tie. He couldn't help but add the tie, because thanks to his rapid fire questions with Lucy he knew she was a sucker for ties. Paired with comfortable gray slacks and his usual black shoes and he was feeling pretty good. He gave himself one final once over and was eager to leave but knew he couldn't. With an annoyed grimace he walked across the room to a simple arm chair facing a large window looking out, settling in to wait.

Time was a nuisance between the spirit and human worlds, often infuriating and upsetting him. To see how much his friends had aged after Lucy returned was a terrifying slap in the face, reminding him with grim certainty that his human friends would die one day. He wouldn't even consider the prospect with Lucy. He refused.

It was also very hard for him to adjust to time in the spirit world once he was allowed passage. It couldn't have been an hour home when he could sense Lucy's fear and he was running in a mad dash to save her. Then it felt like every few minutes that something threatened her, when he knew in reality it was days in between for her. It was difficult to just accept that Lucy would call him if she needed him like all the others, and that even though he could tell she was being hurt she wouldn't summon him. He had almost been insulted at first, that she wouldn't just call him first thing when there was trouble but it was ridiculous to expect that and he knew he was just being protective. He summoned himself when necessary, that was his only indulgence. Still, time had become a major stress for him. He was worried, when he had woken up in his bed after his fight with Capricorn and almost half a day had gone by. He was fully healed much earlier on, but he had never been disturbed. Not once in a month and a half of her time was he summoned. He had run to the others, scared more than he cared to remember, asking them if they felt it too. If they felt the LACK of her, like she was asleep. The others were worried, but took comfort in knowing she was safe. If she was in pain they would know, if she was dead they would know. She was alive and well but something was keeping her from them, like she was asleep.

Days passed, and in reality it wasn't very long at all for them. 28 days, but he knew how long it was in the human world. Seven years, seven years since Lucy last called. During that time he had tried hundreds of times to force his way through on his own power but he couldn't, and he was forced to wait, his only comfort knowing that she was safe, wherever she was.

The first summon after the events of Tenrou Island was like breathing again. Summons picked up like normal and it was like nothing had ever happened. She was just as young as the day she vanished, like no time had passed at all, and it inspired him to approach the Celestial Spirit king about a favor for him.

Here, on his private land where his home rested, time ran identically to that of the human world. It had been no challenge for the Spirit King, who had complete control over the celestial realm, as well as minor control of the time stream in the human realm. He could rest easy knowing that if he left her side to run home just to grab something it wouldn't be night time by the time he returned. The request of a specific pace of time broke no rules and had been done in the past, because since every being in the celestial world was immortal time was irrelevant anyways. At least this way he could be more accurate about his arrivals.

The only downside was that he had to wait hours and hours now that she was asleep, and he was impatient. He stared out his window, trying to consider what to do to pass the time when a dozen small flashes of gold caught his eye, and he grinned.

He suddenly had a very good idea.

Lucy was sitting upright in her bed, staring around her with an open mouth. She raised one hand to her temple, almost too shocked to even speak as she observed her room.

Almost.

"That stupid, completely outrageous, unbelievable, theatrical, FLIRT!" she shouted into the empty air, but quickly fell into stunned laughter as she looked out into a sea of gorgeous dark blue roses with gold streaks through the petals. They sat in vases on every flat surface, and surrounded her bed, blue and golden petals spread on every window sill. And right next to her head on the pillow next to where she had been sleeping, was a single orange poppy resting on an especially gold streaked Star rose.

Her face flushed as she thought about him, so close to her while she had no idea so he could set the flowers down, so close she was sure she must have felt his breath on her skin without ever waking up. She rose in a flustered daze, grinning madly as she gathered up the roses surrounding her bed in an armful to find them a vase to squeeze them in to, not yet prepared to read the note set prominently on her table. She breathed in the aroma and held them tight against her, her addled mind idly noticing that these roses had no thorns. So they were thorn less as well as beautiful? It only took a glance to see that each flower had been de-thorned by hand and the sentiment overwhelmed her. Had he sat and cut the thorns off every flower? It must have taken him hours, just so he could leave her a gift in one grand, very Loke gesture without risk of hurting her. It almost said more than the roses themselves.

She found a place to house the vase-less roses and took a deep breath before crossing to her table and picking up the note left on heavy, expensive card stock in his naturally elegant handwriting.

It read, "Please accept these as a bribe, if my stubborn master won't accept them as a gift, to keep our little secret a secret. I will be at the guild just to make sure you do. Take no offense darling it isn't that I don't trust you, but my pride is on the line, so I will be forced to watch you closely until I am satisfied. I hope you enjoy my present beautiful, from one friend to another.

Heres to home- Loke"

Lucy held a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle and set the note down gently. "'To make sure you keep the secret,' oh I'm sure that's all," she muttered, smiling to herself. She looked over her shoulder at the poppy and the Golden Star rose nestled side by side.

"'From one friend to another' huh?" and she couldn't help her giddiness.

She sprinted to the bathroom to shower, suddenly in a hurry to be on her way.

Loke settled in to the barstool of the nearly empty Fairy Tail guild hall, pleased to note that the bar always made it through every iteration of the hall. He was prepared to wait however long he needed to for Lucy to wake, and his hope was that he would be waiting for some time and she would make up for lost sleep. The sky was still coated thickly in dark gray clouds, but for the time being there was only occasional light rain splattering against the windows, a cold breeze in the air. He wasn't cold at all, the guild hall always promising comfort and warmth, even when empty. There was only one other person in the hall, who spotted him when she came out from the back room with her arms full of paper.

"Good morning Mirajane, looking lovely as ever" the lion greeted her with his usual grin, happy to see the look of shock on her delicate features.

"Loke! What a pleasant surprise! I didn't know the guild would get to enjoy your company today, just here for a visit?"

"And maybe work with some friends, we'll see how it goes."

Mira smiled sweetly but gave him a look said she was more.

"What?"

"Oh Loke come now, I know you better than that," she giggled, obviously enjoying herself. "Almost eight AM in unpleasant weather, here before anyone else waiting for something. Must be a girl."

His eyes widened slightly but he guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. When it came to matchmaking Mirajane was relentless.

"You're worth the early wake up gorgeous." Mira just raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed. "Am I that obvious? I'm losing my touch."

"Lucy has that effect," she tittered, her demon eyes scouring his face, looking for any minute confirmation that she was right, and somehow finding that she was despite his best attempt.

"Oh yay!" she squealed but Loke held out his hands like he was calming a panicked animal.

"It's not like that Mira calm down, seriously! It isn't that way,"

"But you want it to be!"

"Well I've never hidden that."

"So I'm right!"

"No!"

But she couldn't be stopped, prancing away to start posting the jobs, lost in her planned strategies already.

"What's so hard to believe about wanting to come visit my favorite radiant barmaid on a chilly day? I'm sure I can warm you up!" He called, not sure what his game plan was.

"Oh your heart wasn't even in that little flirt Loke!" She winked over her shoulder, "It must be somewhere else."

He groaned, but resigned himself to his fate. In all likelihood Mira would have been on Lucy about the whole thing anyways if they had both even been spotted in the guild hall together. If he wanted to spend time with her through Fairy Tail, Mira was a part of that package.

He checked a clock written in light pen that Mira kept near the job board while she posted and saw that it was 7:58 AM. It was smart to keep it there so she would know when to get out of the way. Now that Fairy Tail was number one again their members had shot back up to nearly where they were before, and lots of new faces joined the old ones as they charged the board every morning at 8 AM.

7:59 AM

He wondered if he should jostle for a job but decided to leave it to one of the others. He could just squeeze in on a team job, and he didn't want to get trampled first thing in the morning. Mira took a full step back and grinned happily as the doors slammed open.

8:00 AM and the job board was chaos, punches flying left and right to grab the highest paying jobs, he even recognized some of the heads of hair. Not even a full minute had passed when the huge mob of people dispersed all around the guild, settling in for a normal morning now that their days work had been procured. It was only after the flurry had died down that he heard the first, "Hey it's Loke!"

In no time at all there was a small commotion around him, people saying hi and saying it was nice to see him.

'Has it really been so long? I should really come by more often I've been rude to these people,' he thought to himself as he shared his hundredth hello, spotting the cool ice-wizard making his way through the small crowd.

"Hey Gray it's been awhile since I've seen you outside of a job, still shooting ice cubes?"

Gray laughed and extended an arm, bumping his fist against Loke's. "Way more than ice cubes kitty cat. You here with Lucy? I don't see her around," scanning the gathered wizards to confirm her absence. By now the others had left to hassle Mirajane for breakfast and warm their favorite benches, leaving Loke and Gray at the bar where the Ice Make mage grabbed a stool.

"Nope," Loke stated simply, "I came by on my own, Lucy is still asleep I think." He took a moment, staring off into space as he checked, and her state of mind was conscious and dim. "Yeah she's still asleep. She was up late last night so she might be sleeping in."

"You can tell when she's awake or not?" Gray seemed intrigued, and it was once again reaffirmed that most mages knew very little about celestial magic.

"More or less," Loke said vaguely. "Either that or she's meditating. I can sense her state of mind, so I know when she's panicked or afraid or in pain, other than that it's all mostly guessing."

"That makes sense, explains how you always show up right when she needs it."

"I'm also just that good." The two chuckled, accepting glasses of water from Mira they hadn't ordered but gladly accepted.

"Does it work the other way? Lucy has a ton of contracts that seems like a headache."

"I think so, it's kind of unique with Lucy. Being able to sense my wizard at all is kind of new, it only ever occurs with either very powerful wizards or ones who have a strong bond with their spirits. Lucy has both so it's pretty easy to track." Loke took a long draw from his glass, considering the question. "I think she mostly just has an intuition for how her spirits are feeling when she's with them, anything more than that probably would be a headache."

They let the topic drop, Loke not really feeling like explaining celestial contracts and Gray not terribly curious about anything else, moving on to work talk.

"I'd like to ask a favor," Loke started, leaning against the bar.

"Shoot."

"If there's a team job think you could work me in? I know you guys have a pretty set dynamic but it's been ages since I last went on a proper mission, at least any more of the mission then the 'Lucy is in mortal danger' part. It would be reassuring to know there are parts of her day where her life isn't at risk, plus it would be a nice change of pace."

Gray thought it over for a moment before shrugging. "Sounds fine to me. I'll tell Erza that we're taking a ride along."

"If pay is a problem I don't mind not getting a cut, just make Lucy's a little bigger than usual."

"No I'm pretty sure Erza won't like the idea of you working for free, plus we can take a bigger job if you're here for the whole thing so it should be fine anyways. I'll go let her know before she settles on a job."

Gray rose from the bar and started navigating his way to the heavily armored female mage in the far corner, looking through a handful of promising jobs she had taken from a few of the more cowardly members who hung around to take the rejected work like musical chairs. Loke watched Gray's progress since he had nothing else to do, watching as Erza raised her head to look at Gray and listen to something he was saying, then turn to look at Loke from across the hall. She paused for a moment then smiled and nodded, turning back to the jobs with confidence and selected one, handing the stack back to the others, seeming to thank them.

'Did Erza just ask for their jobs? I guess I wouldn't say no to her either.' The next time he looked he noticed Erza staring at him, and when she caught his eye, beckoned him over.

Her face implied it was just friendly intent but he still gulped hard before crossing the hall. Erza was still pretty damn scary.

"It's nice to see you Loke, it will be nice to have you along. At least, from the start and not somewhere in the middle." Erza smiling in a way she reserved for comrades and he felt more at ease.

"Thanks for allowing it, I don't want to intrude on your team or anything."

"Not at all, it will be a pleasure to have you. Once Natsu and Lucy make it in we can plan our way there."

"What's the job then?" Gray spoke up for the first time, earning a job request to read over for his question. "What?" Gray pulled the paper closer like it would make more sense if he did. "'Emergency request of Abner Woods to retrieve sensitive documents from the Duke Godfrey at his ball in two days' time. Wizards must be able to blend convincingly with high society and return the files unharmed. Detection not recommended but not forbidden. 700,000 jewel."

"700,000 is nothing to sniff at, must be some pretty important stuff to get back, or illicit," Loke commented, pulling the flyer away from Gray to read for himself.

"Abner? Godfrey? Who the hell are these guys?"

"High society apparently. Don't get names like Don past a certain income."

Gray turned his attention to Erza again. "And how the hell are we going to pass for high society to even get close? Natsu doesn't exactly follow etiquette and these things usually have a dress code." It was unlikely that Gray had stripped down to his skivvies to prove his point but it did none the less, nonetheless Erza still seemed confident.

"That's why it's good that we have Loke. You strike me as a man who knows how to handle himself in a formal environment, do you think you can do it?"

The lion spirit was surprised, having very quickly gone from asking to be included to becoming a central part of the plan. Luckily formality was something he was very familiar with.

"Balls and diplomatic nonsense is a pretty central part of my job, I can get it done."

Erza grinned. "Good, then we can be partners in this endeavor. Loke and I will pose as aristocrats and gather Intel, or provide a distraction for you, Natsu, and Lucy to sneak inside."

Loke nodded like he understood, but shot Gray an extremely nervous glance when Erza looked away, already discussing her outfit. There was just no way Erza could pull it off, she would blow their cover almost instantly. It was unfortunate but true that it took a more prim, proper, and dainty lady to pass for well off. The next time Erza looked away he upped the panic and saw Gray huff heavily, annoyed that he was expected to know how to fix this.

"Um Erza," Loke choked out, and her sudden sharp gaze made him consider just vanishing in a shower of golden particles.

She said nothing, just raised an eyebrow.

"I well um- You see it- I just was thinking, that perhaps you would be better utilized on the infiltration team. I don't doubt you at all! It's just that with a sort of mission like this you want someone who has lived through that sort of life style, and if I need a partner in this it would make more sense if it were Lucy and I." She did not reply, just waited. "Um… because we are contracted me and Lucy work together flawlessly and um, can communicate subtly if we need to, and she was raised as a duchess and would have no problem playing the part."

Loke desperately wanted Gray to step in but he was looking like he was considering running too, when Erza said, "You're right, it would be easier for you two to enter the Ball together and I would be able to focus knowing she was safe. I suppose I will have to find another occasion to dance…" She really did look disappointed, and Loke might have played some line about taking her out sometime, but he valued his life a bit too much for that.

"I will alert Mirajane, I suggest you make preparations for proper attire for both Lucy and yourself. We will fill the others in when they arrive," and she was up and away from the table by the time Loke and Gray let out a heavily held breath.

Loke socialized to calm his nerves, getting simultaneously extremely excited and very nervous for his role in this mission. He was going to get to hold Lucy, have an arm around her waist, and dance with her… slowly and intimately. Then again, it was firmly rooted in his mind that Lucy would never believe that he hadn't elaborately set it up so she would be forced in to, basically, a date with him. There was just no way she was going to buy it. There was of course a duty to perform throughout the ball, so they would at least have characters to play, but even that idea excited him. Pretending to be perfect strangers, meeting by the carriages, where he would offer to escort her inside like a true gentlemen and take her arm. Or better yet, staging as an engaged couple, invited to partake in the wealth of the countrymen. The idea of all the romantic role play had his heart racing. Wouldn't she enjoy it? She loved romantic things like that, though she had never permitted him to perform them really. He tried to distract himself but he had no idea what to do with this feeling. He was nervous. Over a woman.

Natsu had arrived at some point, though he was too wrapped in his own thoughts to pay him much mind. It was Happy the cat that broke him from his trace, flying happily over his head. "Loke's coming with us on a mission! Loke's coming along Natsu!" The cat cheered and celebrated and the lion couldn't help but smile. "Hey man! So you're gonna help us out?" The sharp toothed fire breather sauntered over, his genuine friendliness making it easy to return his enthusiasm.

"Sure as hell am, though I think you'll get to do most of the fighting if there even is any."

"Yeah I heard you got the rough end of the deal, sorry about that man."

If dancing with Lucy was considered rough then his life had been a travesty.

The two were discussing a possible brawl when Loke felt a faint but unmistakable spike of shock, and bewilderment. And then, utter joy. Loke smiled like a madman out of nowhere, trying to cover it up with a cough and a gesture of the hand. It would seem Lucy was finally up, and had spotted his little gift, there was no other explanation. Her state of mind changed constantly, but it all seemed positive, thank god. All of the feelings were coming in loud and clear, which meant more likely than not that she was thinking of him when she had these feelings. It was to be expected, it was his gift after all, but something about knowing that Lucy was thinking of him made his heart stutter, which added to his pile of confused feelings. He should have felt bad, he hadn't listened to a word Natsu had said in quite awhile, but he couldn't focus on his _very_ exaggerated story of a mission, probably forgetting that Loke had been there, but he didn't.

He tried to clear his head, talk with Natsu and accept his challenge for a later date and speak with others. He even gave a conversation with Happy about fish a try, but after a little while he could tell she was getting closer. He eventually gave up, and ordered a warm drink, hot chocolate (a favorite of Lucy's), waiting when he heard the guild doors open.

"Heya Luce!" Natsu shouted and Loke turned on his stool to see her, excited to see what she would say to him about the roses, when his heart stopped.

She was glowing with happiness, her nose ever so slightly red from the cold weather and her hair just barely damp from the light drizzle outside. It had curled subtly in natural response to the moisture and it was not bound up in any cute pigtails or ponytails, just let loose to hang around her shoulders over the deep navy blue sweater and her light blue scarf. Her pants were a tight, practical black and her boots matched well, but what made him stop and stare was the shimmer in her hair.

A single golden rose tucked behind one ear.


	3. A Dress

Loke stood from his place at the bar, and hurried towards his master. He had no plan, no words, no thought as to what he would do once he got there, he was only aware of her for that small point in time. He wanted to grab her, press her close against him and kiss her, stroke the flower in her hair. To claim her. All it took to stop him in his tracks however was a single glance from Lucy, and that shocking, disarming smile. His mind went blank, caught up in her gorgeous face, stopping just short of her, already a little too close. What was he planning to do exactly? Pull her with him to kiss her passionately in the rain? That's what he wanted yes but it didn't take a fully functioning mind to calculate the infinite reasons that wouldn't work. He hesitated, realizing he was a tad screwed. Everyone in the guild had just witnessed him run up to Lucy and freeze, so he resorted to a desperate back up plan. Loke reached out and caught her hand, causing Lucy to blush as he pressed his lips against it in a smooth flirtatious gesture.

"Welcome princess, I was so lonely waiting for you to arrive."

Most on lookers chuckled and shook their heads, typical Loke. Lucy however gave the spirit a glare that would have usually rendered him immobile with fear, if he couldn't sense the sudden flustered disarray of her thoughts. Perhaps he could save this.

"Are you going to be a flirt all day?" she muttered crossly, but the blush never faded.

He pulled back his hand and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "No I swear! I just needed to get one in to tide me over, I promise I'll be good." He smiled at her, but smiled with his heart not his mind. The difference being the smile he gave everyone else, and the smiles he gave Lucy. She could always spot a genuine smile apart from his charming ones.

The blonde huffed and shook her head, but seemed to ultimately forgive him. It was just his way. Considering this though, Lucy reached up to adjust the rose in her hair and was very pleased to catch the flustered expression that crossed Loke's face.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, and the lion's eyes snapped from the flower to her gaze. "For the gift I mean… It was very sweet, thank you. I'll keep your secret," glancing at the ever adorable cat ears atop his head and grinning.

She settled the rose more securely in place and giggled. "This one was my favorite by far."

"I- uh- I'm glad master." He managed, berating himself for the obvious hesitation that made her smile.

"Lucy," she corrected, surprised that she needed to do so.

"Lucy," he agreed.

He managed to guide her to the bar and present her with the drink he had ordered for her while she greeted her guild mates. She took the hot chocolate gladly, distracted from replying to Levi when she noticed her spirits distracted eyes sightlessly scanning the bar.

The symbolism _couldn't_ have been lost to her. She was a writer, and also just plain clever enough to know. The orange poppy was _obviously_ Lucy, and the golden rose was _obviously_ himself, nestled close together on her bed. There was no way that went over her head, so she picked that flower _knowing_ that. Or maybe it really was just her favorite one? He couldn't help but overthink it, confused as to what this counter play meant.

Lucy smiled into her mug as Levi talked animatedly about a job request, easily picking up on her spirits confusion. Pairing that with his behavior and she was pretty sure she had flustered the poor guy pretty badly. He wasn't the only one who could be smooth.

It was then that Lucy's team approached the bar. Loke did his best to keep a lofty charming grin on his face while Erza explained the mission they would be going on soon, but he was nervous, tensed for a scream any second.

To his surprise, Lucy brightened at the mention of a ball. "I haven't had a reason to dress up in ages! That's amazing! I mean, dealing with all the withered asshole politicians is kind of a downer… but it can still be fun. And for such a high reward!" She clapped her hands and squealed, stopping suddenly when a thought occurred to her. "Wait am I going in alone? It's going to be hard to gather information by myself, I'll constantly be asked to dance or talked at by horny palace boys." The image made her grimace.

"Already considered. Loke will be accompanying you through the ball as your partner, able to assist in case of trouble as well as with the social hurdles."

Lucy's eyes widened, turning from Erza to the ginger haired man sat next to her. She stared at him, not saying anything for a full second before smiling. "That actually makes sense, you said the spirit world has balls all the time right?"

Loke had honestly been expecting a kick in the face, and was quick to nod his head. "They are a tad more eccentric then human balls but that's just because of the crowd. I can fit in."

Lucy crossed her arms, and gave him a half-hearted glare. "Okay, we can be partners but you have to stay FOCUSED okay?"

Loke broke out into a huge grin, utterly ecstatic, and snapped a salute, "Mam' yes mam'!"

"Don't salute you look like Sagittarius"

"Moshi Moshi!"

"That's settled then," Erza commented, effectively ending the conversation and causing Natsu and Gray to wander off pretty quickly. Erza turned to the lion spirit, smirking at his very apparent good mood.

"Have you decided on attire? I assume you will be getting something from the spirit world."

Lucy's gasp was so loud it actually caused the hardened warrior to jump.

"A BALL GOWN FROM THE CELESTIAL WORLD." The girl was bouncing on the barstool, stars in her eyes when Loke leaned around her to address the red head. "I was going to let Lucy pick, for obvious reasons." He reached out and grabbed Lucy by the shoulders, forcing her to stop bouncing before she slid off. "Shall I ask Virgo to pick out some options?"

"Please!"

This was how Loke ended up being roped in to a kind of impromptu fashion show for the ladies of Fairytail. He had originally been against the idea, but then Bisca said it was important to see the matching outfits as a set and not just Lucy's dress, and he couldn't stand to ruin Lucy's fun. Virgo was waiting for him in the back room of the guild hall, another regal collection of cloth in her arms.

"Was the red not satisfactory?"

Loke sighed, allowing Virgo to change him in her whirlwind fashion. "No they loved it, they love all of them but they want to see several. I wonder how many more this will go on for."

The nearly emotionless maid stared at him blankly, stating, "The princess seems to be enjoying herself."

He smiled, thinking of the way Lucy twirled in each extravagant dress, standing next to him to compare the complementary clothing. It was always the same sort of dynamic, his was sharp, hers was elegant.

"I am done."

Loke looked down, approving of the dark blue fabric. The coattails were never quite his style but they were nice for formal events, and the detailed gold lines falling along the front and sides of the jacket were a nice touch, looping out to form a circular lattice of gold across the back. When he observed his back in the mirror he easily recognized it as the magic circle used for celestial summons, and his own constellation in the center stitched in silver thread. He made a note to switch the cufflinks for his own when he heard the calling of the girls.

"Lets see it!" Evergreen shouted, letting herself engage in the fun of the girls for once.

"Come on lets see!" Lisanna called out, gasping adorably when Loke obliged them.

He did a turn when they prompted, cheering and swooning all the while, most likely just feeding his ego but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

"The vest is perfect and the jacket!" Levi jumped up and down in excitement, "She's really gonna love this one I know it, I can't wait to see the dress!"

"I'm ready!" Loke turned at the voice of his princess waiting patiently for her to step out, and never could he have prepared himself.

In a way the dress was simple. It was a tight corset like top to the dress, fabric never reaching up to conceal the gorgeous lines of her neck, but choosing instead to hug just short of her shoulders, forming a gently curving slope towards her breast. There was a triangle like cut at the very center, drawing the eye along the tightly held mounds of her breast, only hinting at the start of her cleavage. Across her stomach were long dipping gold lines of stitching much like his own, choosing to cut across her sides instead of forming an elaborate pattern, forming golden bars across her back that only gave way to a sharp V dip at the direct center of her back. The tight torso length of the dress molded to her body to accentuate her slim waist and show off her figure, before the corset top ended and blossomed in great gorgeous lengths of shimmering dark blue fabric. It fell in waves and folds, only catching up on the bright jewels stitched seamlessly in, like stars in a clear night sky. Towards the bottom the dark blue fabric gave way in flowing irregularity to the shining lighter shaded blue cloth underneath, falling to the floor in a cascading waterfall.

It was the jewels stitched across her chest though that described ever thought pounding through Loke's mind, placed in the unmistakable form of the Andromeda constellation with silver stitching connecting the stars.

She was royalty, stepped before mortal men.

The room was silent, Lucy looking out to the faces of her friends to see they had finally torn their gazes from the unbelievable beauty of the ball gown, and were looking at Loke instead. She was almost hurt, before she too saw his face.

He was frozen, his eyes wide and his mouth just barely open, looking at her like he was only seeing her just now. She remembered that look, from a time where he lay dying on an outcrop of rock over the surging waters of the falls, and watched as the stars bent and came before Lucy Heartfilia, a woman he had only run from, in an effort to save his life with an impossible display of celestial magic.

It was awe.

"Princess…" he tried to speak but found it hard, deciding to instead bow his head as he gathered his thoughts. "You- you shine brighter than the stars ever could."

Lucy hid her smile behind a slender hand, but couldn't hide her blush from the gathered girls. Luckily Loke's gaze was still tied to the floor, trying desperately to collect himself, and he didn't see.

"I think I like this one."

Not a soul in the guild hall disagreed.

Lucy frowned out of the window of Fairy Tail, staring at the downpour that kept her from getting home in any kind of comfortable condition.

"I love the rain, but not when I'm IN the rain."

"You like the _idea_ of rain," Mirajane offered from her place behind the bar, setting down a plate of fish for Happy as paid for by Natsu from the aftermath of some childish bet.

"It's gonna be cold" she pouted, continuing on as if no one had contributed to her sulking.

Lucy sighed theatrically, sitting down at a table and looked around the surprisingly full guild. It was late in the day but no one was very eager to leave the warmth of their benches for a soaking outside, and had stayed later then was typical.

Lucy jumped when there was a sudden clang of a beer mug on her table, and the resident drunkard Cana Alberona sat across from her.

"Why not have Lion boy carry you home. You will definitely still be wet but at least you'll be warm!" Lucy's face was hot while Cana laughed heartily, severely doubting the drunk's insinuation of 'wet'.

"Keep it down Cana what the hell!" The 'Lion Boy' in question was still in the guild, enjoying the company of Elfman and Lisanna at the opposite end from where Lucy was sat. She prayed to the stars that he hadn't heard but judging by the smirk on his face she figured that was unlikely. Stupid cat ears.

"Oh come on girl, you have got to see he's all over you," Cana was grinning at her friend but indulging her with a hushed tone to preserve her health. Too much teasing and the little blonde might explode.

"It is NOT like that." Lucy huffed and crossed her arms when Cana just raised an eyebrow.

"You aren't blind are you? Could have sworn you had a working set of eyes."

"Is there something you _need_?" Lucy knew she was being rude but she was getting more red faced by the second.

"I _need_ to know what is going on Luce now spill!"

" _Nothing_!" Lucy hissed, probably a little too loud.

"Oh you know that's not true." Lucy looked up and groaned when she saw Mirajane bringing Cana another drink despite the fact she was only half way through the one she had, finding any excuse to come over and join the conversation.

"I'm glad you have some sense Mira, tell her I'm right," Cana prodded, ignoring that Lucy had now slammed her head down onto the table.

"You're right, I could see it from the second he walked in today you should have seen it. He was here before the jobs were even posted, all excited and fresh faced. He tried to flirt with me when he knew I was getting suspicious but you could tell he didn't mean it." Mira winked at the exasperated celestial mage when she finally raised her head. "He was definitely waiting for someone."

"Okay he WAS waiting for me but it was for something comple-"

"Yeah hes been totally off his game all day," Cana interrupted her and smirking at her frustration. "He was trying to say some suave line to Evergreen but it was only after she was poking fun at him for the way he reacted to Lucy's dress, and like have you even seen the way he's been looking at her? I've never seen it before, he's never treated one of his fan club that way. And he definitely didn't look at me like he was seeing the birth of magic whenever we hooked up."

Lucy suddenly felt a twinge of anger, thinking about how many girls from the guild or even the whole damn town must have been by Loke's bedside at one point or another.

"What? You've never slept with Loke," Mira frowned, setting the drink down.

"Yeah but did you see her face!" Cana erupted, pointing at Lucy, "You totally dig him!"

Lucy groaned again, palming her face as the two women went on and on. A run through the rain was definitely better than this.

Then she heard his voice, speaking into her mind with a deeply amused tone to it. 'Need a distraction milady?'

Lucy's head snapped down to look at the keys she always kept by her side, noticing the Leo key was shining faintly as he used it to contact her. She looked across to where he was, catching his questioning glance.

She quickly made physical contact with the key to return to message. 'Have you been eavesdropping!?' Lucy used all her mental power to shriek into his head, watching as he flinched from the force of it.

'Haven't heard a word,' he insisted in return, but the amusement was still present.

Lucy groaned out loud for a third time, drawing the attention of the two women for the first time in several minutes.

'Just get me out of this and I will _consider_ not killing you.'

'Your wish is my command.' And with a massive, powerful blast of light, Natsu was sent flying from his stool at the bar face first through a wall to the back rooms.

"HEY NATSU" Loke shouted, after hitting him out of the room. "LETS HAVE THAT FIGHT."

"YOU FUCKING CAT EARED BASTARD"

"Boys stop!" Mirajane called out but the fight was underway, causing every sitting guild member to run for the safety of the storm. They were going to get roasted if they stuck around.

"Stay the hell away from the bar guys!" Cana was on her feet as well, running to defend her stock of booze. Lucy grimaced as the fight started to involve more and more people, wondering if she should put a stop to it before the hall was destroyed. She didn't want Loke getting hurt but knew he probably missed the guild brawls from when he could be around all the time instead of just visiting. Gray, Elfman, Bickslow and Gajeel were getting wrapped up in the fighting and she considered running for it as well when she saw a table fly in her direction only to get shattered by Loke before it ever got close. It looked like he was just mindlessly fighting but he was keeping an eye on Lucy to make sure the fight zone didn't spread so far as to put her at risk. Seeing this made her laugh, and as a way of repaying him, Taurus was suddenly there to clobber Gray into the floorboards before he could land a nasty blow on her lion spirit.

The chaos continued with Lucy keeping a careful watch over where Loke was and summoning spirits as needed ("Where the fuck are these guys even popping up from?!") until it was all ended under the furious crushing fists of their guild master, and they were all thrown out into the rain.

Lucy waited patiently for Loke to limp his way over, her worry only being eased by the happy smile on his face.

"Lets get you out of the rain gorgeous, can't have you getting sick with a big dance coming up."

Lucy giggled, reaching up to support him as she knew he would insist on walking her home despite his condition. "You didn't have to break a wall and start a fight just to save me from an awkward conversation. But thanks."

He smiled down at her, doing his best to walk on his own as he teased her. "Awkward? Why, whatever was a conversation involving Mirajane and Cana possibly about?"

"Nothing shut up!" causing him to burst out laughing.

She glared up at his handsome, happy face and reached up, quickly taking advantage of his weakness and rendering him powerless from the might of her scratches. The laughing instantly gave way to _VERY_ loud purring, and it was his turn to be embarrassed.

"Luuuucy…" he whined pitifully, and even he wasn't sure if it was because it was embarrassing or because she stopped, only consoled by her victorious expression.

"That was very loud."

"Lucy!"

"The whole town probably heard it that was-"

"LUCY" but there was no stopping her, skipping out ahead and relentlessly teasing him. He pretended to frown, but seeing her so happy, practically dancing in the rain was worth the humiliation.

He eagerly awaited the moment where he would be dancing _with_ her, it a very different setting, and smiled as he knew he would not be waiting very long.

 **((AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all so much for the amazingly kind favorites and reviews, every time I see a review I get back to writing that much quicker so thank you so much. Next up is a very special night for Loke and Lucy, and I hope you like it!))**


	4. A Dance

The sky was heavy with humongous white clouds but there was no sign of rain as the sun began to set on the shabby inexpensive inn where Fairy Tail's strongest team resided.

"All done baby," Cancer pulled back from his masterpiece, turning his master so she could view his handiwork. Lucy gasped, looking in to the oval mirror of the vanity and seeing her hair shining like strands of gold. Cancer had opted for a long flow of hair across her shoulders, ever so slightly curled, and a lock of hair pulled up into a braid along her temple only to fade seamlessly back into the river of gold. Woven in to her hair were a net of diamonds, mimicking the flow of the milky-way and tucking away gently. Though it was not his job, Cancer placed Lucy's matching necklace, with sparkling diamonds heavily flowing in a ribbon from the right of her neck into a thin shimmering line on her left like liquid that wrapped from just above her ears, around her neck and out of sight.

"It's perfect Cancer! Thank you so much!" Her crab spirit nodded with a small smile, and with one final "Baby," faded back to the spirit world.

Lucy examined herself, and deciding she looked as good as she would, pulled out another golden key.

She took a deep breath and called out, "Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"

A whirlwind of energy and light focused on a single point, and suddenly a small maid with bright pink hair and emotionless eyes appeared before her, carrying an elegant ball gown.

"Are you ready to be dressed Princess?"

Lucy breathed out a shaky lung full of air, and nodded, holding out her arms and allowing her spirit to work.

As Virgo quickly changed her master she asked, "Are you alright Princess?"

Lucy took a second to respond, staring at the door distractedly. "I uh yes. I'm fine."

"You are being dishonest," Virgo straightened, finished now. "That is unlike you."

Lucy looked down at the gorgeous gown, shifting her weight to watch the fabric move and shimmer in the dim light of the setting sun, saying nothing.

"You are nervous, but I see no reason to be."

Lucy huffed out a strained laugh. "I'm going to a ball with Loke and you see no reason to be nervous?"

The maid tilted her head in confusion though her voice gave nothing away. "Leo cares for you deeply. You have no reason to be frightened of him."

Lucy bit her lip and felt the heat of her cheeks with a cool hand. She turned away from her spirit, looking at the mirror and pretending to fix some imperfection of her hair that did not exist. "I- I'm not frightened of him. He makes me… nervous. Sometimes."

"You make him nervous too Princess."

Lucy's hand froze against her hair, staring at her own shocked expression.

"Brother once said, long before we knew you, that being nervous was okay because it meant you were doing it right. I believe he is experiencing this now." The maid blinked when Lucy turned to face her. "I have never known him to be nervous. I wonder what has changed."

Lucy looked down at the floorboards, wondering the same thing. What had changed for him?

What had changed for _her_?

Virgo could sense the subtle changes in her mood and waited patiently for the punishment she was sure to receive. However Lucy merely smiled a small smile at nothing in particular, and said "You can go now Virgo, thank you."

Perhaps she would be punished next time.

The great lion waited, preened and pressed to perfection at the door of a modest carriage outside of the inn. He looked again at the window he knew Lucy's room was behind for what felt like the hundredth time before the man sat on the steps of the inn spoke.

"You are doing fine dude, don't sweat it."

Loke looked over to Gray but managed to say nothing, choosing instead to look at his polished shoes, kicking at the pebbled road.

"You know," Gray pressed, "I've never seen you like this. I figured you would be the champ at this, but you look just as nervous as I would be." Gray looked up at the way the sun caught the billowing clouds left over from the storm. "Lucy is one hell of a gorgeous lady but I figured you would hold up better than this." The ice mage didn't need to look down to feel the powerful glare he was getting, smirking and tilting his head to catch Loke's eye. "I ain't lookin' man she's all yours, I was just saying."

Loke didn't restrain the growl that rumbled in his chest, enjoying the way it uneased his guildmate. "Take my advice Gray," Loke narrowed his eyes behind his since reclaimed azure tinted shades, "shut the hell up."

"Take MY advice and _relax_ man. This is Lucy, you'll be fine."

Silence reigned for a while, and Gray took the time to look over the man standing so stiffly in front of their rented carriage. He had a hard time convincing himself this was the same womanizing playboy he had known for years, or even the same spirit he had known on Tenrou Island. Something had definitely changed for him.

"You must really be serious about this huh. You really do love her."

Loke's breathe caught and his thoughts rung with the word he had been so hesitant to apply. He had no idea what to do with that word, no idea why it felt so huge and foreign when he had used it so callously a thousand times before.

Gray watched the spirit's reaction and nodded, mostly to himself as his speculations were confirmed. He was not one to miss the subtle things, and the look in his old friend's eyes did not go unnoticed. The ice mage looked up at Lucy's window himself and was not surprised in the slightest that it had been her that could grab a player's heart in such a fashion. Someone had finally reigned him in, and the guy had it bad.

"For what it's worth," Gray offered, "I think she's noticed she isn't just another girl for you. That was the biggest thing standing in your way." Gray stood and stretched looking at his friend through one eye. "Goes without saying that I'll kick your ass to spirit dust if you break her heart."

Loke only nodded, having expected the threat earlier then it came. Silence fell once again as Gray decided he had harassed Loke long enough and went inside to find Erza, Happy and Natsu. The lion was left alone, standing guard and utterly lost in his thoughts.

"Just make her happy," he muttered out loud, "Just make her smile and laugh and the rest will come. Be her friend, make her happy. Don't overthink it, it's just a mission."

He braced himself when he heard Natsu and the others talking to someone inside, hearing what sounded like excited praise. 'Lucy must be down now…' he thought, taking the chance to take off his glasses and tuck them away, pushing at his pants to smooth a miniscule crease. He held his breath and waited for the group, trying to be prepared but gasping nonetheless when Lucy and the others stepped out.

She was… radiant.

Loke moved to her side practically in a trance, taking her arm and guiding her across the pebbled road so she wouldn't stumble. "You look absolutely gorgeous Lucy, stunning, honestly."

Lucy blushed, and he was flattered to catch her not so subtly checking him out as they walked. "You- you look very handsome. This suits you nicely."

Loke smiled at her, his grin becoming less nervous and more genuine when her eyes lingered on his backside when she thought he couldn't see, forgetting just how reflective Erza's armor really was. He opened the door to the horse drawn carriage with a flourish, presenting his hand to assist her inside, striking a fine and gentlemanly pose as he did so. He grinned again when she blushed after looking at the prince like man before her, taking his hand and hurrying to be seated. Loke took a step up but hung out the door to allow the others to gather close and speak to both Lucy and himself with ease.

"Alright," Erza addressed them with her usual serious tone, "You will be attending as Madame Sybil Cosima and her newly engaged fiancé Cyril Jago, a wealthy land owner from the southern continents. Your names have been added to the list by the client's contacts, so entry won't be a problem. Your main objective is to get close to the host of the ball and get information to relay to the infiltration team through the communication lacrimas positioned in the courtyard by the client. Anything you can find out, types of security, rooms of the manor, who are non-wizards and who are, you relay to the team. We will wait three hours after you arrive to move in, so make sure to make contact with us before then with whatever you know."

Lucy and Loke nodded in unison while Gray and Natsu shared sharp grins at the mission ahead. The lion spirit looked down at the rings on his fingers, and after a moment's thought, removed one with a large ruby embedded in the gold.

"It hardly matches," he stated nervously, "but a newly engaged couple can't appear without rings to sell the story. It should fit." His hands were sweaty from his overactive imagination, thinking of a very different scenario when he slid the band in place on Lucy's ring finger. He didn't have the guts to look her in the eye and Lucy muttered a quick "Good thinking," before staring at the ring in a daze, admiring it. Erza smiled proudly at the lion, gave a quick nod, and departed. Gray gave him a smug, knowing look before following the redhead, leaving Natsu and Happy to catch up with an indignant cry of "Wait up guys!"

Loke signaled the driver to move forward, pulling the door shut with him as he climbed inside, very aware of the heat in the compartment. There was silence for a long time, only the horses and wheels audible as they drove, until Lucy spoke up.

"This is an amazing ring, I've never seen you without it. I promise I won't mistreat it."

Her timid voice made him feel more at ease, turning his head to admire the familiar band of gold now set primly on her finger. The visual set him right back on edge.

"I trust you with it, it is a very important ring." Dear god his voice sounded thin and boyish. He cleared his throat before he continued. "It's called 'Fragment of Regulus'."

The way her mouth popped open in a surprised 'o' shape made him smile again.

"The heart of the lion…" she whispered. Most likely without realizing how it might sound, she muttered "I'll take care of it, you have my word."

"I know you will Princess, thank you."

"Monsieur Jago it is an honor to welcome you and your lovely fiancé to the manor this evening." The knobby servant that waited by the carriage door succeeded in making the 'couple' very uncomfortable almost instantly, considering he was speaking over Lucy and to Loke as if she wasn't even there.

"Thank you, if you will please help my fiancé now…"

"But of course!" the servant interjected, eagerly grabbing Lucy's hand and helping her step down. Lucy gave him a polished and practiced smile, thanking him for his help, but it did not go unseen by her spirit how quickly she retracted her hand. He was quick to be by her side, taking her arm perhaps a little too possessively but Lucy ultimately seemed grateful for it.

"This way to the hall, if you excuse me I have other guests to greet." The servant whisked away in a hurry and Lucy gave her lion a theatrical grimace.

"Ew," was all she said, making Loke chuckle.

"This way _darling_ ," he smiled down at how it made her eyes narrow, pulling her with him towards the grand entrance.

The scent of champagne and the sound of haughty laughter reached them before they were even inside, both taking a deep breath before stepping over the threshold and in to a sea of satin and silk. The hall itself was massive and extravagant, with elaborate murals spanning the empty spaces of walls wherever a lofty mirror or gold accented column did not dominate. There were several levels, the main one being the large dance floor in the center with an ostentatious orchestra pit at the forefront. Up some steps above that was a common level for socializing, and a balcony above even that for private encounters.

Loke tensed up in surprise when Lucy leaned heavily in to him, gripping his arm tightly and laughing at a joke he had never made. "Oh sweetheart you really do take me to the most charming places."

"Uh…" Loke was stumped right out the gate, deciding to just smile at her charmingly. It was only then that he saw the gaggle of women whose attention they had earned just from entering. 'Ah' he thought, pulling Lucy close to him and putting a finger under her chin to tilt her gaze up at him. "Only the finest for my future bride."

His statement worked like a charm, and the vain gold diggers huffed and sighed, dispersing to find other attractive men to pray on. "Nice," Lucy commented with her first 'Lucy' smile of the night, before replacing it with the prim and proper one expected of high society women.

"Only the finest for my future bride," he repeated, deciding he was hungry and steering his lovely companion towards the banquet table on the second level.

The wealthy landowner Cyril Jago procured two glasses of champagne, presenting one to his partner with a slight bow before taking a draft of his own. They linked arms again, closing in on the table of delicately prepared food. As Lucy let her spirit consider the options, she swept a keen eye across the hall. How were they supposed to know who Duke Godfrey was? Perhaps they could just ask. However she knew it was likely that he had not yet arrived, and they would need to bide their time.

"I have no idea what the hell this is," Loke whispered to her, holding up some caramelized tentacle looking cake for her to look at. She raised an eyebrow at it and pushed it away from her face.

"Pick something normal to eat I don't need you getting sick from… honestly I don't know what that is either."

"You say normal like the rich have tuna salad sitting around somewhere."

"Do you have fish on the brain kitty? I think there is some over there."

"Don't you even go there."

Lucy giggled and made it obvious to ogle his ass this time.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Checking for a tail actually."

"SERIOUSLY?" he hissed at her, trying to cover it in a cough when others looked over.

He grabbed her arm and rushed her down the stairs, forgetting all about his hunger.

"Wait no what are you doing?!" Lucy stumbled and fell against him, her whole body pressed tightly against his, his hands falling on the small of her back to steady her.

"Getting payback," he purred at her, in a charming way of course.

Before she could protest, she was held intimately in the center of the dance floor, the lion grinning mischievously and catching her hands, pulling her through the first few steps until she got her footing.

Lucy tried to steady her erratic breathing, her entire visage screaming flustered. To anyone else it would look like a shy maiden being chosen as entertainment for a flirtatious duke, and they wouldn't be far off. "I am going to _kill_ you for this," she whispered harshly, but he kept on smiling away, relishing in their closeness.

"Just let me lead lovely, try and relax." He bent his mouth close to her ear, "it's all work remember?"

"And I said stay _focused_ remember?"

To her surprise Loke frowned.

"The song will be over soon." He said quietly, his hands looser on hers now. He had overstepped, gotten too excited and pushed her too far. 'Nice,' he thought dejectedly.

'Yeesh, his confidence changes pretty easily lately…' Lucy considered what Virgo had said earlier that night. That she made him nervous too.

"I-well, there's nothing wrong with a few more songs." She hid her face in the only place she could, given their closeness. Against his chest and out of sight from his shocked hazel eyes. From this position she could hear the sudden pick up of his heart, outpacing the tempo they swayed to ten to one, and it made her smile. She could sense his unease all but vanish, taking her proximity and settling a hand on her back and the other in her delicate fingers.

"Nothing wrong with that," he mirrored, his heart light from happiness.

They were in that position for the next few songs, Lucy's head resting against his chest and Loke with one arm wrapped protectively around her, the other idly reaching up to stroke the ends of her hair. Lucy's head had originally been full of doubting self-conscious thoughts like bees fighting for freedom in a glass jar, but as they swayed and Loke relaxed, it was less like a dance in a political ball with formal attire. It was more how she would imagine a dance to a slow song in a living room would be, a man in sweats and a t-shirt and a woman in shorts and a tank-top, holding each other closely. It was often a thought she had entertained for her future prince, inspired by her romance novels and thirst for intimacy. Not the physical passion that she admittedly also desired, but the emotional calm that came from knowing someone so deeply, you could keep dancing even when the song ended. The thought made her blush, but she did not pull away. She didn't get it, she didn't understand what it was that... _this_ was, but she liked it. She didn't want it to stop. She had finally grown tired of not believing him, of writing him off when he said he cared. Her eyes drifted to her hand, resting on his arm that surrounded her, and watched as the ruby of the ring on her finger flared like fire. The ring he had never been without, and never given to anyone before.

He had given her a piece of his heart, and she was going to give him some in return. She trusted him with her life… perhaps she could also trust him with-

Trumpets flared and the dancers on the floor stopped like trained military ranks, snapping to attention and turning to face the highest balcony that led to the rest of manor. Loke and Lucy moved quickly to mimic their actions, Loke obviously disgruntled that their contact had to be broken, waiting for what he knew would come next.

"Esteemed guests!" a thick male voice boomed, "I am so grateful you could come and join me in my ecstasy. I offer you my wealth and my land to bring you any exotic pleasures you demand! Let us share in our fortunes and revel in a finer life!"

Lucy looked at the man addressing the crowd, understanding instantly that it must be Godfrey. He certainly was pompous enough to fit the bill. He was tall, fat, and took up far too much space, straining his white and gold king like attire to bursting buttons. His thin weed like goatee combined with slick greasy black hair that hung to his shoulders was enough to make Madame Cosima gag, shooting a glance up at her spirit and knowing he felt the same.

The crowd applauded him and when he disappeared back inside the manor, presumably to work his way downstairs (which would take him a few minutes, Lucy was sure) the murmuring picked up in full swing.

"If we are going to get info on Godfrey it will be from the gossip, we should split up." Lucy couldn't help but frown at what she knew to be a complete and utter 'No' written across Loke's face.

"Okay," she amended, "We should go together."

"Lead the way."

Loke sat back and watched Lucy work, honestly impressed by how she could work the shallow women obsessed with money and themselves into telling her everything she needed to know. They would walk past a gossiping group of women and their reluctant husbands and Lucy would say out loud to her lion, "Have you heard of this nasty business with Sir Woods?"

Loke would play along, replying, "Abner? The old fool, whatever has happened with him now."

They would be interrupted by one of the women, tugging her husband along. "Oh I've heard _everything_ about him, riling up the good Duke Godfrey like that, he deserves whatever he gets the washed up old prune. I hear his fortune is nearly halved now!" The husband would chuckle, "Not that it was ever much to begin with." And they would all laugh that haughty rich person laugh.

He could see Lucy tick through what they learned from every interaction.

-Pre-existing bad blood between client and target

-Clients fortune recently halved, why a big reward then?

-Client's reputation already minimal among elite, what could the documents contain that could be detrimental to his image? Illicit photographs unlikely

-Duke Godfrey in good standings, further investigation required

Then on to the next group. She was unstoppable, but Loke was no slouch either, picking out the unfaithful ladies with relative ease. It didn't take too long to find one of them boasting about her time with the host of the party. She was lecturing everyone nearby about how well she knew her "Little Allister, I call him Alli of course, _you_ must call him Duke Godfrey though."

"I am jealous to know that there are those lucky enough to have stayed in this home, the estate is something to be marveled at really."

"Oh yes," the frightful witch droned, "Little Alli, that's what I call him, settles for nothing less than perfection."

"That must be why he had you." He forced a smile and internally groaned when he heard Lucy snicker by his side, when she joined the game.

"You _must_ build us a manor as grand sweetie, as tall and as luxurious!"

Loke smiled at her lovingly like a fiancé might, not having to act too much. "Of course darling of course. It will be just as tall if not taller, how many floors is this manor? Four?"

"Five! With a cellar as well!" the mistress eagerly corrected.

"Then six it will be. And a garden as wide!"

"We must have a gorgeous view of it from our study! I'm sure not even the Duke could boast as much."

"Don't be so sure," the witch sneered, acting superior, "The view from _our_ study is of the great mountains, with his racing track easily seen so he can watch the private races without getting his shoes dirty! I'm sure even the south has no wealth enough for that."

They left that interaction with smirks on their faces, adding to their list.

-Five floors, cellar too

-Study, most likely to contain documents, located on east side of the building facing the mountain with a wide enough and high enough view to see the races. Narrows down possible location to four rooms

-Unfaithful

Loke, pretending to be a frisky drunk flirting with married women was detained and neutralized within forty five seconds by security, but easily enough convinced by an attractive blonde promising to sober up her fiancé to release him.

-Security strong

-Mostly focused around guest areas and courtyard

-Armed and quickly responsive

-Wizards among them

-Magic types unknown

For the most part guests were non-wizards. This was easy to determine by Loke's charming lines of "You are absolutely glowing gorgeous," only to be cut off by an angry fiancé saying "That's your _light magic_ you tactless ape," and gauging their reactions from there, often prompting wizards to show off in return. Plus, they were a 'Look the other way' type of bunch and were unlikely to engage, as determined by 'Drunk Loke's' detainment.

It wasn't too much longer until it was time for them to slip away into the private areas of the courtyard, following the markers to a concealed location where they carefully freed a shining lacrima from the bushes. The others were waiting on the other end.

"Bout time!" Natsu shouted at them almost immediately, making the two of them flinch.

"We were getting worried, glad to see nothing went wrong." Gray said coolly, his tone implying he hadn't been all that worried.

"Have you learned anything?" Erza finally asked.

They took turns running through their list while the others listened carefully, talking aloud for the benefit of the formal team while they strategized.

"Me and Happy can look for the study from the air, in and out and done!" Natsu whined, getting annoyed with all this diplomatic secrecy. It was delaying a fight in his eyes.

"They said security is all over the common grounds and that includes the race track dumbass, you would be spotted instantly." Gray and Natsu momentarily locked horns before Erza pounded them into the ground without breaking her concentration.

"We might be able to gain access through the work areas, the servants are so busy they probably won't even look twice. If there is a guard positioned there it should be easy to subdue him."

"I knew they would find _some_ reason to punch somebody," Loke whispered to his master.

"Okay fine, me and Happy punch out a guard then storm the place,"

"No you idiot! We would be spotted!" Gray was seething, before his voice cut short. "Wait there's an idea."

"Mm?" Erza seemed to be barely listening.

"We were gonna use Lucy and Loke as distractions if we needed one but what if we just send Natsu in punching on the bottom floor since we know the study can't be there and me and you just go look for the documents. Happy comes with us to fly out whoever has the papers since the guards will already be on red alert and the other one just gets out fighting. There's only a couple wizards and the request didn't say we HAD to be subtle."

"Wealthy enemies could cause trouble for the guild if they go to the council," Lucy interjected.

"Then we don't let them know we're from Fairy Tail. Cover our guild marks and keep magic to a minimum."

"IM NOT COVERING MY MARK YOU PERVERTED TRAITOR"

"I had to do it Natsu, you can to," Lucy sighed.

The pounding Natsu received from Erza could be heard over the lacrima.

"Gray's plan will work. We will go with that strategy. Natsu, keep your magic looking like generic fire magic, no dragon slayer spells, and you can hit as many guards as you like."

Loke and Lucy smiled at each other, pleased to have done good work. The rest was up to the others now.

They said their goodbyes and good-lucks, stowed the lacrima and started walking back to the ballroom.

Loke held out an arm which Lucy gladly took, looking in at all the festive fun of vain underserving people, a little glad that she was a part of some grand scheme against one of them. She had known many kind upper-class folk, but this party was painfully devoid of them.

"Maybe we can share a few more dances before the ruckus begins?" Loke offered, returning Lucy's happy smile and slight blush.

"Yeah, now we can just enjoy the party."

Once inside, Loke grabbed another two sparkling drinks and held his glass in the air.

"Here's to home." Lucy beamed up at him, seeing and feeling his happiness just as potently as her own.

"To home."

And they clinked their glasses.


	5. An Interruption

Loke led his master up to the private balconies, finding one that was deserted of other party goers. Lucy left his side and peered over the railing, watching the swirling of the grand dresses on the dancefloor far below them.

"You know," she said eventually, "I remember being a little girl and loving watching the dresses spin. I wasn't able to dance myself and all the dull talk about work and money just bored me to tears. It's fun to actually get to go to one of these things with someone I can talk to."

Loke joined her, standing a short distance away and leaning on his elbows.

"I couldn't agree more, you have no idea how much better it is for me to have you at a dance. Getting to talk and dance, it's so much more fun than sitting in some horrid gold chair trying to act like a proper member of the celestial elite. Much better than stiff practiced dances and being dragged back by the coattails anytime I tried to sneak away."

The visual of the mighty lion being dragged back to a dinner table like a pouting little boy made her laugh that high ringing Lucy laugh that always made his heart skip.

"Lion's day ball is better," He continued, "It kicks ass in comparison to the Zodiac ones."

She laughed again at his decidedly informal description. "I like this," she said suddenly, still looking down at the dancers. "When you're relaxed and…" she seemed to roll a few words around on her tongue, trying them out before settling with, "genuine."

"Did I not seem genuine before?" He asked, his voice sort of betraying his nervousness, fearing that somehow their time together through the storm and at the guild had seemed fake.

"No," she said after a moment of consideration, "but you also have never been like this before." She turned and stunned him, the light from the candles and lanterns placed around the balcony catching the shining gold of her hair and the diamonds that rested in it.

"That's because I've been getting to spend so much time with you beautiful," he managed to reply. "I'm not _always_ a flirt," he added, glad the laugh didn't betray him.

"So this is the real Loke huh? How you really are underneath all that charm?" Her smile was the only thing that gave him enough courage to nod. She walked closer, and said "I like it."

His heart soared at her acceptance, having someone you care about announce their clear and undoubtable praise is something that can be compared to few things.

"I guess we should keep hanging out then," he grinned, eagerly teasing her in his even better mood.

"I guess we should," she agreed with a smile of her own, laughing out loud at his sudden flustered expression. He pouted cutely in her opinion, reaching out to catch her hands and pulling her close to him as a new song started far below them.

The song was slow and beautiful, and Lucy felt her face heat as the intimacy of what was happening struck her. Before, her nervous mind could argue that their dancing before was all work just as Loke had suggested, but here…

They were alone, on a balcony in formal attire, like a prince and a princess.

His body was warm, and close. They both knew there was no other justification for a dance up here besides just the desire to do so, the desire to be near each other. Either could pull away, stammering out something about work or a professional relationship between wizard and spirit but neither did, moving through the steps together. Her face was hot and her heart racing as she acknowledged the message she was sending by staying in his arms, but still she did not leave.

'I trust him,' her heart whispered to itself. 'This is okay. I like this feeling… spending time with him like this. Where he laughs and it sounds so real and vibrant, where he asks for details of my life because he wants to know, not to build some angle. This…' she tried to put a word to what her heart was saying but couldn't. 'This… I don't know what this is. I'm not sure what to do or say, but I like this. I like it when he stays with me.'

She shook her head, just a tiny action against his chest as they danced through their minuet. She cleared her mind, just focusing on what she knew in the sea of things she didn't.

She liked dancing with him.

Loke cradled her, his mind so rattled and fried it just replayed the same words over and over. 'She didn't move away. She didn't move away.' She could have left and he would have thought of her no differently, understood it even if it had killed him. But she didn't. The warmth he felt in his chest was so new and grand and terrifying that he was at a loss of what to do or say. So he focused on what was there and real, the thing that threw his whole life into disarray. The feeling of Lucy Heartfilia in his arms, and how she stayed. This sensation was the realest thing to him now and he focused his sanity to it, swaying with the beautiful woman tucked against his chest, wondering how he had ever been so lucky to catch her in that storm.

Neither one of them noticed when the song came to an end.

 _Everyone_ noticed when the ballroom shook and groaned with the force of a massive explosion coming from the manor, and for a moment in time, Loke despised the dragon slayer responsible. The moment wasn't just gone, it was ripped away and torn to pieces, scattered somewhere underneath the panicked charging of the crowd fleeing the ballroom.

"God _fucking_ DAMN IT" Loke shouted, throwing his arms into the air along with his curse and Lucy, despite also feeling the loss of the moment, collapsed in laughter, laying on the floor clutching her side.

"I am going to skin him _alive_ I swear to GOD," he continued to vent, realizing it was entertaining her but also just genuinely frustrated. He stooped to pick his master up from the floor, effortlessly carrying her sprawled out across his arms and storming out from the balcony. Luckily everyone was so afraid when the explosions continued that no one paid any mind to an infuriated man carrying a hysterical woman in a heated rush down two flights of stairs and out the door, completely forgoing the carriage and just carrying her down the road while her laughter rang off the hills along with the sounds of battle.

It was just past one in the morning when the infiltration team rolled into town, the documents they were sent to procure securely fastened in Erza's armored hand. She was flipping through them idly, but its contents were mostly patents for ground breaking new technological advances through the use of magic, and thus of little use to a guild wizard.

"I would want those back too if I were Abner," Gray commented, reading over the red head's shoulder, "That stuff could bring his fortune back and then some. Wonder how Godfrey got his claws on em'." No one proposed a theory, because no one really cared, just glad to have the job tied up and done. They would collect the reward and be on the way home before the sun even came up, everyone deciding that since they were up so late anyways they might as well catch the late night train and sleep on the way there. Everyone save Natsu, who only grimly accepted his fate under Erza's threatening gaze.

"Think Loke made any progress?" Erza asked plainly, and Gray wasn't really surprised she had caught on. By the time the two of them had made the lacrima call in the courtyard they had both seemed a pretty chummy, having obviously been enjoying themselves.

"Dunno. What do you think of it?" Gray only asked because he was curious if anyone else had reached the same conclusion he had.

"I think she would be very good for him, and that she already has been. Leave it to Lucy to actually get him to stay in one place." She smiled as she thought of the two of them, nervous and blushing as he gave her his ring just before they departed. "I think he's good for her too. That brand of loyalty and tenderness is rare, and for once from him, genuine. I have high hopes, but it's too soon to tell."

Gray nodded, agreeing whole heartedly. He was hoping for a chance to catch the lion alone and ask him how it went before they went to get the reward. Gray was hardly the matchmaker type, but recognized when a friend probably just needed to talk. He damn well wouldn't have any advice but if it let the spirit speak his mind and sort things out for himself so be it, he would do it for a friend.

Plus it was pretty entertaining to watch Loke flounder over a girl.

The topics of discussion were visible now at the end of the road, waiting on the steps of the inn having already changed. It was sort of jarring to see them so insanely casual after being so 'royal blood' not that long ago, Lucy in a baggy t shirt and jeans and Loke in much the same with the addition of his shades set on top of his head.

From so far they couldn't tell much but the pair just seemed to be chatting, occasionally pointing up at the sky.

When they finally got close enough Gray could just make out Loke saying something like, "- well for now yeah but Capricorn will be visible in like a month or so," before they caught sight of the team and rose to meet them.

"How did it go?" Lucy called out, rushing out to meet them in the road, Loke following at his own pace.

Erza held up the papers triumphantly while Natsu stepped forward to claim Lucy's attention, telling her all about their side of things. Gray looked past Lucy to the casual man, giving a questioning glance and a hand gesture that rotated between a thumbs up and a thumbs down and also somewhere in the middle.

Loke grinned at his friend, giving him a thumbs up to answer his question and that was enough for him. 'So it went well that's good,' Gray thought to himself, listening in for a moment as Erza asked Loke about the party before getting bored and starting to wander off.

"Talk and walk guys let's get this in before it's even later."

The rest of the team turned to see Gray sauntering off down the road and Lucy rushed to grab her things from the inn steps and following after her teammates as they followed him. Loke was at the rear of the group, staring up at the stars and occasionally glancing down to smile at Lucy who would smile back until his gaze shifted back to the stars.

'I wonder if he's thinking about home… or his fellow spirits or even when he was banished. I know falling stars can make him sad, I hope there aren't any tonight,' looking up herself to check for any.

'God damn I'm tired,' Loke thought in an uncomplicated fashion, his brain too worn from all of the worrying and emotions to produce anything more. He could mull over his immediate future when it was slightly more immediate, and he had a bit of shut eye.

Exhausted though he was he frowned when he considered leaving. He wanted to stay in Lucy's company, but knowing full well that the glorious day where he was invited to sleep over was not this day he eventually gave in.

"Luce I think I'm gonna-" a yawn cut through his sentence and made the gorgeous blonde giggle, understanding his exhaustion.

"Head on home Loke, you earned a nice long rest."

"I don't want to leave," he felt the need to say, "but I don't sleep well on trains."

"You don't need to justify it" she laughed, leaning against him as they walked, "I'll see you in the morning?"

"You will?" He sounded stunned because he was, honestly expecting he would need to concoct another scenario that would lead to them seeing each other again.

"Well I need to give you your cut silly, plus it's an off day. I would need to run some errands but-"

"I'll help!" Loke offered in sudden excitement, honestly thrilled to be included in some routine part of her life. If he played his cards right she might take him along on errands regularly. It might be dull but it was time so he wasn't going to complain.

She smiled, her tiredness keeping her from embarrassment or shyness simply because she didn't have the energy for it. "That's settled then. Now go before I make you," she hovered a hand over her key pouch at her side in a mock threat.

"Tonight was perfect Lucy, I'll never forget it."

"Neither will I. Goodnight Loke."

"Goodnight princess." And in a shower of golden particles he was gone, forgetting to say goodbye to the others entirely.

In the celestial world he made it the two steps up to his bed and collapsed on top of the comforter fully clothed, asleep near instantly, her goodnight still playing in his mind and ushering him to peaceful dreams, a glowing goddess warding off any nightmare that may come.

The train lurched to a stop and Lucy would have fallen to the floor had Gray not been awake to catch her. She was barely aware of her surroundings as the weary team stepped off the train and back into Magnolia, the familiar territory a welcome sight. "Goonigh'" she slurred, trudging off away from her team mates and grimaced at the dim brightness of the sky that promised a dawn only moments away. 'I'm gonna be all messed up now.' Though in honestly she didn't mind, the memories of the night far outweighing a skewed sleep cycle. Her thoughts turned fondly to her spirit, and the way he had acted throughout the party. How he held her and spoke to her, how he laughed and had fun. But also the way he gripped her arm a little tighter when she would be ogled, or his biting tone whenever one of the leering husbands would drunkenly offer to whisk her away. The way he stood over her and held her close to him seemingly without thinking of it at all. She wondered through her exhaustion if his protectiveness was excessive, or bordering on possessive but she waved it off. It made her feel safe and cared for, feeling a small surge of pleasure whenever he would curtly remind people they were 'engaged' even if it was only a cover.

And she remembered the last dance, the way they were so close they could feel the others heartbeat. She smiled into the night, relieved to see her home at last and even more relieved to note that no suspicious characters had tried to take advantage of a distracted woman in the middle of the night.

She walked inside, barely remembering to lock her door as she went to sleep without changing. She crawled under the covers and brought her key pouch to rest in her hands.

"Night guys," she muttered aloud, and was suddenly sound asleep, dreaming of a dance that was never interrupted and of where that might had led for the two of them. And where it might lead still.

There were no nightmares, only ball gowns and a handsome prince, every doubtful thought or wayward worry being warded off by some large guardian creature just out of sight. When she tried to look she would always catch a glimpse of a deep golden coat and wild mane before the powerful creature was off again, having charged itself with watching over her dreams, always just out of sight but always there. Protecting her.

 **((AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all again for your support and reviews. If anyone has anything they would like to see or headcanons they would like to share please do! And I will see if I can possibly incorporate it into the coming chapters. Sorry this one is so short but I needed to end the ball night without delving in to the next series of events so I will try to update soon.))**


	6. A Free Day

"Would you look at the little guy? You think going clothes shopping was as good as winning the lottery," Cana smirked, trading comments with the white haired beauty behind the counter and the old man sitting on top of it.

Master Makarov hummed in amusement under his breath, examining the man in question with a soft smile. Loke was circling the guild, the smile on his face and the light in his eyes bringing joy to everyone. His mood was so potent that pretty soon almost everyone gathered looked ready to burst into song. It was early yet, just about 10 am, but the energy and vigor the guild mages had to take on their jobs now was easily doubled by the lion's friendliness.

A couple of the men were making jokes like "Someone must have got laid!" but Loke would correct them every time saying, "Man I wish!" It would get a few laughs but it did not go unnoticed by the master how Loke was very clear to keep any such implications from gaining ground. It wasn't a secret by now that the spirit and his master had assisted in a very high profile mission that required them to go deep cover, so everyone knew about the Ball. The last thing Loke wanted was some asshole starting rumors that Lucy was a one night kind of woman.

"He certainly has changed his tune," the old man mused, "and I can't say I'll miss the skirt chaser he was before. One less pretty boy around heh-heh-heh."

"Master!" Mirajane scolded, but shook her head, knowing the master's ways could only be contained, not eliminated.

Suddenly, Loke stopped in his socializing and seemed to zone out, focusing on something no one else could see. He tilted his head as if he was listening to something, when a smile broke out on his face and a strong surge of magic could be felt. No one had ever seen a summon from the other side before, but it looked like a strong golden wind swirling around the spirits feet, picking up speed and power.

"Gotta go Lucy's calling!" Loke managed to shout before giving a wave as the wind overtook him and he vanished in a flash of light.

"Mm…" the master hummed, a pleased smirk on his face, and the old man hopped down from his seat on the bar and sauntered off to find his office.

…

The lion appeared in Lucy's apartment, opening his eyes to find himself standing just besides her dining table with the lovely woman herself stood on the other side with his key in her hand.

"Hello gorgeous!" he greeted her cheerily, striding quickly around the table to her side. As he walked he examined the cute bleached white short shorts and her collared light blue blouse with a kind of dizziness he had come to accept whenever he saw her attractive figure. The top was sleeveless and showed off her toned, slim arms, and it certainly wasn't helping his sanity that the fabric the blouse was made of was slightly see through. He wondered if she _always_ wore that lacy white bra, but he quickly came to realize that continuing on that with that particular train of thought would soon present him with a very real and hard to conceal problem. He resisted the urge to pull something in front of him as an 'In-case-of-emergency' cover up.

"Hello Loke, you're looking sharp," she complimented him with a grin, knowing it would puff his ego but enjoying the confidence boost her comments always gave him. She looked him over and liked the white button up and dark jean combo, always loving the casualness rolling up the sleeves gave him. With his shades back in their normal place and his hair all handsome and wild she had to forcibly remind herself of the task at hand. 'Down girl,' she scolded herself, cursing the blush that never failed to put that killer grin on his face. "Sorry in advance, this really might be boring for you. It's seriously just getting mail and picking up orders and all of that stuff. If you decide to ditch out at some point trust me I won't blame you." She looked away from him, running a hand through her side ponytail to sort out the tangles. "But I appreciate your company. I bet it will be more fun with you along."

"I will do my best and trust me I have zero intentions of leaving your company any time soon," and he crossed his arms to emphasize his certainty, not missing the way she gently tucked his key away.

"Here's your reward," Lucy gestured to the table, and he saw for the first time the generous stack of bills on the table, along with the ruby ring. His eyes widened in shock when he realized he had left it behind, but even though it was of such importance to him he couldn't help but feel a little sad that she was no longer wearing it.

"Much appreciated beautiful," Loke was quick to thank her, shoving as much money as would fit in his wallet before sending the rest to the spirit world and slipping the ring in to place. He would try and give the money to her but he knew it would probably just earn him a slap in the face, so he resolved to just spend it all on her one way or another. He had no need for human money anymore, not that that would have stopped him.

"Well let's go!" Lucy bounced to the door, grabbing a list from the kitchen counter on her way, examining it as she swung the door open. "First stop iiiisss… Oh! Easy, I've got the pick up my books from Levy at Fairy Hills. Or would it be easier to do that later so we don't have to carry them the whole way… Well okay I guess let's go through the magic shops in downtown for my usual scouting, then we will be right next to that little store with the dress I was going to buy. Theeen we can just get through the rest of the list however, don't let me forget the books though!"

"Yes mam!" He saluted her, muttering a "Moshi moshi," to make her laugh as they left. It was already so surreal, doing the little things. Reminding her to lock the door, holding her purse as she rummaged for her keys, arguing over whether she should wear something warmer or not. It felt so… Loke searched for the words as they got out on to the street, making their way to the livelier consumer sections of Magnolia. Relaxed? No… comfortable. Settled. It quickly turned out that Lucy was right in her choice of outfit, the sun making a vicious comeback after the cold weather they had been having.

They were only a few minutes in and Lucy was pretty sure she hadn't laughed so hard in a while. "How can you laugh at that!? I was humiliated. There I was, in a speedo with five girls and a slinky in my hand with no way to talk my way out of it in front of half of the guild masters in Fiore."

Lucy was struggling for air, shamelessly laughing at him even as they got in to more crowded streets.

"Okay like you haven't done anything embarrassing," Loke huffed, pretending to be insulted, "It's your turn."

Normally she would have outright refused but she felt the need to give a story back after such an uproar. "Well it's nothing close to that but there was this one time-"

As she shared her tale Loke ribbed her mercilessly, laughing so naturally and with such ease it was like no other time in his life he could recall. It reminded him of Aries, when the one or two masters they had shared were busy and they would sit together talking, but even then it was nothing like this. He was the big brother figure then, always having to be a little reserved or have some kind of front. With the spirits he had to be a leader, and with the fairies he had to be a human, but with Lucy he was something else. With a slight shock he realized this must be his true self, the one Lucy had seen at the dance.

Was this what love was? The skip of his heart when she smiled and the ease of his laugh when she was by his side? The way he felt a deep need to reach out and brush the skin of her cheek with his fingertips like it was as vital as the air in his lungs? God even his thoughts were pathetic at this point, how overwhelming this whole thing was.

The chime of the bell as they entered the first magic shop was enough to bring him from his reverie, choosing to look on as Lucy strode confidently up to the counter.

"Ah Miss Lucy! I had a feeling you would be by soon, you can always sense when I have something new." The middle aged shop keeper was already reaching from a small wooden box somewhere out of sight.

"What have you got?" she asked with genuine intrigue, eagerly reaching over the counter to grab at the box when offered, tilting back the lid and looking inside. Loke came up behind her and was surprised to see a silver gatekey settled in velvet. "Dorado," she whispered, picking up the key, "The swordfish huh?" Lucy held up the key for Loke to see. "Know him?"

Loke tore his eyes from the key, happy to be consulted but was cut off by the store owner.

"Oh yes! A powerful combat spirit, very skilled with water magic you can't go wrong with-"

"Uh no actually," Loke interrupted, "Not even close. Think more like big fish who is so full of themselves they would probably stop to pose in a mirror before actually fighting. Is one hell of a swimmer but is next to useless on land, and can't manipulate water last I checked. He's usually too busy talking to his reflection to have a conversation with anyone else so I don't know him well personally, not that I'd want to."

The shopkeeper looked murderous, his whole face red and the vein in his neck bulging as he demanded to know, "And who are you to be such an expert young man?"

Lucy shot the man a look that convinced Loke to let her handle it on her own, just listening as she said fiercely, "He is actually a celestial spirit himself so I would think twice before lying to the people you are hoping to scalp for a gatekey. Do you seriously think I have 60,000 to drop on a key just like that? I'm one of the last celestial wizards there is right now you should probably rethink your tone."

Lucy turned on her heel, about to storm out all together when the business man desperately fumbled for two more boxes beneath the counter, knowing she was the only one he really had a hope of selling these to and calling out, "Wait miss please!"

He opened the boxes and Lucy slowed, her curiosity about celestial spirits almost too potent to ignore, but Loke was still stood near the counter and looked at the remaining two before shouting happily, "Corvus!"

Before Lucy could even turn around the lion had snatched up the key in excitement, ignoring the store owner's protests and taking the key to Lucy.

"Corvus would be great on your team! Hes very noble, and a great flyer. He could carry you about as far as Happy could and isn't bad with scouting and thinking on the fly. He isn't much for combat but he's a great dude… bird. Funny when he relaxes a bit, I've been contracted alongside him before."

Lucy took the key of The Crow and looked it over, more interested in the prospect of allowing Loke to work alongside another of his friends then the combat advantages. The idea of ending a hopefully great day with meeting a new celestial spirit made her smile, and she went to the counter with a determined smile.

The door chimed again as they exited, Lucy holding the box with an accomplished grin. "40,000 isn't terrible, and I'm excited to meet him. He's a friend of yours?" she asked, hoping for conversation as they moved on to the next magic shop down the way.

"Yes he's a good guy, a bit obsessed with ranking though. It took a lot of work to get him to relax around me, because in the natural hierarchy of the spirit world I was the highest ranking spirit he had ever encountered, mostly because I AM the highest ranked besides the King. Technically even higher than the Queen and Princess though I don't like to brag." It sounded very much like he _did_ like to brag but Lucy couldn't say as much before he continued. "He's professional and very conscious of who's in charge. Man I can't wait to see how he reacts to how you run things, not being able to call you master is going to be a struggle for him." Loke laughed at the image of the large bird searching for an appropriate word for her. 'Princess,' would undoubtedly become a crutch for him. He looked forward to seeing the old crow.

The next two magic shops were uneventful, Lucy not letting Loke linger in any section that contained anything he knew she wanted but couldn't afford, knowing him too well for that. The duo entered a clothing store Lucy obviously was familiar with, moving quickly through the sea of clothes to a long line of dresses on the far wall near the dressing rooms. With a heavy sigh of relief Lucy pulled a short red dress from the line and held it close like she was codling a baby.

"I'm finally back beautiful don't you worry, you'll be coming home with me this time," she cooed, twirling to hold the dress out for Loke to see. He honestly wasn't sure what he was looking at, it just looked like fabric but it was obvious from the contrast between the dress and the woman standing behind it that it was going to be _very_ tight fitting and _very_ short. All in all he was on board.

He gave a nod and a thumbs up, and with just a hint of hope in his voice, "It's sort of hard to imagine how you would look in it though, would the top be to low? You have to consider it with dresses like that."

Lucy looked down at the dress in consideration, for the first time thinking of how the tight chest might make her bust spill out too much.

"So," Loke continued, attempting to be casual, "you should probably ya know, try it on first."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, immediately catching on to his game, but couldn't deny that it wasn't a bad idea, even if he was only asking for the wrong reasons. The price was a bit daunting so it wouldn't hurt to know for sure.

"Fine, but you have to be good and actually be constructive!" she warned, already heading to the dressing rooms.

"Absolutely wouldn't dream of anything else love," but even then he couldn't keep the eagerness from his voice and it made her roll her eyes.

It really was tight but she knew it made her figure something else, plus it's the way these sorts of dresses were meant to be right? And she could still move and bend and breathe so she figured it was fine. She examined herself in the mirror and decided to let her hair down, watching as the locks fell on her shoulders and she _knew_ she looked great. She wondered if she should be so excited to see his reaction but didn't feel like trying to restrain herself, she knew when she looked to die for. It hugged her body so tightly and the long sloping cut was _just_ right to drive a guy crazy, showing off one of her favorite features of herself which was her neck and shoulders for all their beauty. The dress ended high on the thigh, and she walked out of the dressing room with confidence, striding over barefoot to where the man she was looking for was zoned out looking up at the ceiling.

"What do you think?"

Loke looked down at the sound of her voice and wasn't at all prepared for what he saw, despite his vivid imagination that had been entertaining him as he waited. God it was the confidence that really put it over the top, the way she stood with her feet splayed slightly apart and one hand on her hip with the other playing with her hair. She stared him down, like she was challenging him almost. She was so confident and alluring, he was sure he was going to go insane. It was a wonder his nose didn't erupt in a fountain of blood though the shade of his face was nothing he could stop. He was vaguely sure he was nearly drooling, and when he was suddenly aware of a terrible problem he quickly crossed his legs, trying desperately to keep his eyes from tracing the lines of her slim gorgeous neck, and the curve of her breast and the dip of her- oh STARS keep it together asshole.

"You should buy it," he managed in a strained voice.

"I dunno…" she played, turning for him and showing him the curve of her behind.

"Luucy..." he whined, damn near pleading at this point, pride be damned.

At the stress in his voice she decided she was pushing the poor guy too far, the white of his knuckles making it clear he was all but jumping her at this point. It made her feel insanely powerful, to have an influence over a man in this way. The cheeky grin on her face was there for her entire journey to change and purchase the dress, leaving the lion in peace for a moment to gather himself. She would have to remember that.

…

They were well on their way to the post office before he was finally all together, using the Lucy of the now to drive out the image of her in the red dress at least long enough for him to calm down. She was glowing, her mood heightened for the experience which he was relieved to see. He was afraid his intense unavoidable show of attraction would frighten her, but it was quite the opposite. The power in her eyes had only intensified when she saw him react. What that meant for the future he had no clue, but his imagination had high hopes.

"So I just need to pick up these packages, put in that order at the furniture store back downtown and pick up the books from Levy then we can probably grab lunch. Then it's a free day for whatever you would like!" She beamed up at him and he was elated, excited to learn his company wouldn't be terminated once the errands were completed. They moved through the next few errands with easy conversation, Lucy only poking fun at Loke once or twice for the incident at the dress shop which he took without complaint. They had picked back up their game of rapid fire questions when they closed in on Fairy Hills, the lion's arms filled with small but weighty packages.

"So," the spirit mused, "you don't care for horror, what sort of movie _do_ you like?"

"Romance," she answered without hesitation, then tacking on, "comedy, adventure. Musicals as well. Do you like plays and things like that?"

"Yeah, I like live shows of any kind really I always enjoy the venue. The environment is cool, finding your seat and watching the curtain go up and all that. Do you have a favorite musical?"

"Into The Woods!" She shouted excitedly, and he made a note to find out if it was being performed in any town nearby. "You?"

"The Lion King, obviously."

"Obviously."

They had closed in on Fairy Hills, Loke obediently waiting outside with the purchases as Lucy went inside to find her friend. She found her way to the room with relative ease despite only being there a few times before, but stopped just short of knocking when she heard a deep male voice coming from inside. She suppressed a squeal of joy when she recognized it as Gajeel's, straining to hear what was being said while also wondering if she should respect her friend's privacy.

"… you really are a whiz shorty, I don't get half of the crap in these books."

There was a shuffle of paper and a thud of a stack of heavy books being dropped to the ground.

"It's nothing, I do this kind of stuff in my sleep," Lucy recognized her friends voice, the girl obviously proud but a little nervous. "Thanks for coming by to help anyways though."

"Still don't understand why I'm here, I can't help with any of this."

There was a span of silence before the deep tone of a male chuckle was heard.

"Why you so red shrimp? Don't want to admit you just wanted my company? Aww isn't that cute."

There was an indignant sputter before Levy rebutted with, "Well you're here so what does that say about you?"

There was another span of silence as the dragon slayer searched for an answer before grunting and grumbling out, "Yeah well maybe keeping you company didn't sound like such a bad idea."

Lucy was beside herself in the hall, beyond excited that her friend was finally making headway with the thick headed brute she was so infatuated with. She snuck away, grinning happily as she made her way outside, her thoughts trailing to the man she sought company with herself before he came in to view.

Loke was sprawled out in the sun, his eyes closed and the packages placed beside him on the grass. His arms were behind his head and there was a soft smile on his face, like he was just enjoying the heat on a nice day. She just stood there for a moment on the path, looking at him with a fondness she couldn't shake, but she should have known he would have heard her coming. He cracked open an eye and looked at her, his smile strengthening as he met her gaze.

"No books?" he asked, his voice calm and relaxed.

Lucy shook her head as she walked over to him, crouching beside him in the grass. "Levy was busy and I decided to leave her alone." She gave him a suggestive smirk. " _Gajeel_ is over."

"Ooooo," Loke hooted, "Scandalous. I bet she brings books to bed."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh at that, even when she punched his arm lightly and reminded him that Levy was her friend. They sat together in silence for a moment before Loke pulled on her arm, ignoring her protests until he pulled her down into lying beside him.

Lucy huffed, but rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin up on one hand and looking at the peaceful spirit. He kept an eye on her and a smile for a moment before closing his eyes again. He looked so happy, so at peace with a perfect day. She soaked up the image, hoping to remember it for a long time to come. For the first time she decided to ask for permission before she acted.

"Can I pet your ears?"

As soon as she said it she realized how weird it was, but couldn't bother to feel embarrassed over it. She smiled at the way his eyes shot open and he turned to look at her. He considered it, then with a hint of pink to his cheeks and a small smile he nodded.

So they lay there, Lucy using her other hand to pet him, laughing quietly at the way he rolled towards her, leaning in to her touch. His purr was a constant background and it soothed her, cherishing the moment as she looked out over the gently swaying grass and the view of Magnolia. It was a deep and interesting sound, and it was quickly becoming one of her favorites. Perhaps even more so than the pounding of rain on a rooftop.

The pair were unaware of the red headed warrior watching from her window, a touched and happy smile on her face as she watched the scene before her. Erza raised a knuckle to her lips, considering the chemistry she witnessed.

"Good job you two," she said quietly only to herself, smiling still as she moved away from the window to give them some privacy. Just barely missing the soft and loving gaze Loke gave his master when she wasn't looking.

 **((A very fluffy chapter but very fun to write. Next up let's find out how Loke chooses to spend the rest of his free day with Lucy. Maybe she will have a reason to wear that new dress? And we can meet Corvus! Also couldn't resist a splash of Gajevy haha.))**


	7. A Song

"We seriously cannot be doing this."

Gray Fullbuster was sitting with his back to the planter that separated the street from the patio café. He rolled his eyes at his companions watching as the five of them peered eagerly through the bushes into the sitting crowd.

"We have to be here to make sure the bastard doesn't try anything," Natsu muttered with Happy quick to back him up.

"Yeah we all know him! What if he gets handsy!?"

"I don't think he would do that," Wendy defended him quietly, being the only one actually conscious of their volume. She didn't know Loke very well but had heard of his past, even then though she couldn't really doubt the look in his eyes whenever Lucy would look down at her food sitting at their table less than twenty feet away. It was so… tender.

"I wouldn't be so sure child, men are scoundrels who rarely change their ways," Carla added curtly, pretending to be as uninterested as Gray and turning her head away with a huff.

"Don't be so quick to judge him, he has definitely changed," Erza finally joined the rabble, crouched in hiding like the others, carefully observing the 'date'. She had thought it an appropriate course of action to check in on the two of them after they left their sun spot at Fairy Hills, only dropping by the guild to let the others know she would be busy. They had tagged along but she shouldn't have been surprised. She was actually shocked there wasn't more guild members crouched behind the bushes. There was a few hiding behind pillars or carts on the street but not the bushes.

They watched eagerly while Gray just closed his eyes and tried to tune them out, wondering how he had even come to be there at all. 'To make sure they don't go too far,' he reasoned silently. He peered over his shoulder just in case, watching as Loke leaned in close to his blonde companion, whispering something to her.

"Natsu?" Erza inquired, knowing his hearing could pick up what theirs couldn't.

"He said, 'Do they think we don't see them or are they just waiting regardless?'" The gathered group tensed. "And she said, 'They can't possibly think we haven't spotted them by now.'"

In unison the two of them turned with raised eyebrows to stare fully at the bushes, Lucy appearing entertained and Loke a little irritated.

"Welp that's our que to leave," Gray said with a sigh, standing up with an obviously embarrassed expression along with the others.

"Keep your hands to yourself buddy!" Happy shouted, earning a hearty shout of "Yeah!" from Natsu before he was forcefully dragged away by Erza.

The two enjoying lunch waited patiently as Mirajane, Cana, and Bisca appeared from various hiding spots and walked away, trying to act as if it was a coincidence they were even there.

"Honestly unbelievable," Loke sighed heavily, rolling his eyes in a comedic manner to get Lucy to laugh.

"We shouldn't be so surprised that's just the way they are, I don't know how they found us though."

Loke peered around, looking for any more spies. "They probably have a video lacrima stashed somewhere. Or a tracking spell."

The two shared a laugh, and he was relieved to see that the momentum of their 'lunch date', as he fondly referred to it in his mind, wasn't disturbed. He wasn't _really_ irritated with the guild, but he had hoped they would have more faith in him. It seemed he still had a ways to go if he wanted to prove that he didn't think of Lucy the same way as some of the other-

"Oh god no," Loke whispered in horror, staring past a bewildered Lucy. A gaggle of women had just entered the street, and to his dismay, spotted him. Without exception they were all past girlfriends, some of the more attached ones at that. "They travel in packs," he hissed, ducking low to try and make it CLEAR he was not to be disturbed, Lucy zeroing in on the source of his behavior. They were closing in fast.

"You don't want to see some of your biggest fans?" Lucy asked, trying to come off as playful but sounding a bit miffed. Here was yet more proof of the sort of guy Loke tended to be.

The lion was losing hard won ground and fast and did what he tried to never do.

"Lucy please save me, _save me_ I don't want to see them I don't want to see any of them please do _something_."

He was looking up at her desperately, and a spark of fondness flared in her eyes. A train of thought that surprised her raced through her mind, and before she could stop herself she said, "You're right, right now you're _mine_ and I don't feel like being bothered."

He blinked. Did- did she just say what he thinks she said? Before he could do much he spotted a flash of gold in her hand and saw her raise a key.

"Get under the table," she said quickly, taking advantage of the fact the women had to pass a large street cart that blocked their view momentarily.

Pride be damned he figured, he was _hers_ , and he quickly crawled out of sight as Lucy called out, "Open Gate of the Twins! Gemini!"

From his place under the table he could spot two expensive leather shoes he recognized as his own, and heard his own voice say, "Got a special request for this handsome face ooor?"

"Gemini!" Lucy cried out at the scandalous implication, kicking Loke under the table when he laughed. "I need you to lose those fangirls for me."

"Your wish is my command gorgeous," the copy spirits replied in a perfect imitation of him, and the leather shoes were suddenly gone, sprinting down the road shouting, "Chase me my lovelies!" to a chorus of thrilled shrieks quickly fading into the distance.

The sight of those two adorable cat ears and his wild ginger hair popping into view from under the table was enough to make Lucy giggle, gesturing for him to come out when he looked at her curiously.

"That should distract them, as well as any others lurking about town. Hopefully Gemini doesn't take it too far. You know how they can be."

Loke shrugged as he crawled back into his seat. "If they ruin my reputation so be it, it will just mean they avoid me in the future so I can't complain."

That made Lucy smile. She poked at her mushroom ravioli, already pretty full but not wanting to be wasteful. Loke had finished whatever it was he had ordered a while ago, and now spent his time just watching her with a smirk on his face.

"What?" she finally just asked, pouting at him as she continued to eat.

"Nothing. I'm having a good time," his smirk deepened, "I am _yours_ after all."

She groaned and stared down into her food. She should have known he wasn't going to let that go. She had said it without thinking it through, obviously it would go to his head. She could tell her face was red but that stubborn confidence from before hadn't faded. She thought of the dance… where she didn't move away, the choice she was making. Wasn't she past this point now?

"Yeah," she said plainly like they were discussing the weather, "You are. So?"

Despite her nervousness she smiled slightly at his reaction. His smirk was replaced by something unexpected, a soft shocked expression she could only describe as hope. Then suddenly, doubt.

He tried to play it off, but it was obvious now this conversation was very important. "I guess I shouldn't feel so special, I mean the likes of Taurus and Gemini are yours as well."

"Is that how you think I mean it?" she asked, taking a drink from her glass and not quite tasting what it contained.

There was silence, and the two of them were flustered. Loke nervously rubbed at his neck, his fingers twitching and playing with his rings. "That isn't what I _want_ you to mean by it, exactly-" his voice cut out, unsure of what to say or how to approach this.

Lucy looked at him dead on, her voice gentle but her eyes intense. "What do you want it to mean?" She stared at him hard, her heart beating fast. As she spoke her confidence grew. The whole day, the day of the storm, the ball and the dancing. She didn't know what to think of anything and it all… scared her. It was different, but she liked it. Just thinking about that dance… it… she didn't know. But if he said it if he knew, maybe then…

Loke looked like a deer in the headlights, his eyes were wide and she could sense the heat of his thoughts.

This wasn't like he had imagined. He had thought he would need to be the one to approach her, grab her hand and pull her close, telling her of his true feelings. But she was asking him now, and her eyes were so calm and sure he had no idea what she was thinking. Was she asking in hopes he would confess? Was it to put him back in his place, back to the same level as every other mage in Fairy Tail and spirit on her key ring? Were either of them even ready?

"I- I want…" he took a deep breathe, "I want you to think of me as yours. Not like the others, not even like Fairy Tail. I want to-" he fell short again, but she waited patiently, tenderness in her gaze, "to _be_ yours."

She didn't say anything, and he couldn't look at her. Damn when did he become such a coward? Why was it when things were at the most important point that he froze up?

"I- I don't," he stopped again and forced himself to match her stare. To his surprise, she was smiling. "I don't know what to do or what to say and that's hard for me," he confessed. "I always thought I would know what to say but I don't. I thought I knew how to handle things like this but this isn't like before. This isn't like _anything_ I've ever encountered and I don't know what to do but I-" he looked down again, and though his fingers shook he reached out to gently touch the back of her hand. "I want the chance to try."

There was a space of time where nothing happened, his hand hovered above hers and his eyes traced the light pink of her guild mark, his fingertips touching her soft skin and feeling the heat of her hand. He waited, and his heart felt heavy. He was asking for her to give him a chance and he felt like he was out in front of that bath house all over again. Handing her a bottle of milk and knowing with cold certainty he would never see her again.

He should have known better.

Hadn't she come to save him then as well?

Her hand moved out from under his and his heart stopped, but she turned it so the palm rest against the table and gently grasped his shaking fingers, her thumb holding it in place with a reassuring pressure. It didn't feel innocent or friendly per say. It felt… warm. Sweet.

He met her eyes and he couldn't put words to what he felt. His whole body reacted when she spoke, her voice soft and eager.

"I trust you, wholly and completely." She smiled, her cheeks tinged pink and her shoulders pulling closer together with her timid declaration. "I would like to trust you with this as well."

She smiled, fully and brightly and he felt himself returning it. She gave him that smile he loved so much, the one where she closed her eyes and tilted her head just barely to the side. His Lucy smile.

'She's giving me a chance,' his thoughts almost whispered in awe. 'She's going to take me seriously, no more jokes no more pulling away. She's going to let me try.'

All at once all doubt and hesitance were wiped clear.

He wasn't going to fail or falter. He was going to be _hers,_ and finally after so long she might be _his._

He held her hand with more confidence now, holding it firmly and reveling in the softness of her skin. She returned the gesture with a small squeeze of his fingers, and gave no hint that she wanted to end the contact.

"We're ready for the check!" he called, shooting Lucy an ecstatic grin. "We have a free day to enjoy."

From above you could see a man with wild ginger hair in one part of town, running and calling to women who seemed terribly out of breath, and in the opposite end of town you could see the same man, running from a café with an eager smile on his face, holding the hand of a gorgeous blonde woman and tugging her along behind him as they laughed together. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but impossible not to see the nervous, happy smiles on their faces. As they slowed to a walk, talking animatedly and pointing at shops and stores, their hands went from being linked from moving along to falling gently to their sides, until the woman reached out with a blush on her face and took the man's hand. Even from so high above Happy could see the way Loke reacted, pulling closer to her and interweaving their fingers.

"He loooves her," he cooed to himself, and with an excited giggle, flew for all he was worth to the guild hall.

"So it's my choice yes? How we spend the day?" He asked, not caring as his face finally started to ache from all the smiling he had been doing.

Lucy was still adjusting to holding his hand, and settled for a nod.

"Okay," he exclaimed, "Then let's stop by the guild. We should probably tell them we are going out of town so they don't think I've stolen you."

"Out of town?" She said in surprise, turning to look up at his excited face. "Where are we going?"

"Well if you'd like, my house. In the spirit world, not for anything indecent I swear," he chuckled at her expression, but misunderstood her misgivings.

"I can't just vanish for a few months the others-"

"Oh no no, it isn't like that where I live. I asked the King personally to make it so the land my home rests on runs on the same stream of time as the human world. You won't lose weeks of your life I promise, as long as we stay in my estate it will be second for second."

He grinned as he watched the uncertainty tick over to unbridled excitement. "The spirit world! Really!?" She skipped as they walked, swinging their conjoined hands. While they walked he asked to borrow her key pouch.

"Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. She was cautious of anyone having her keys but her, but seeing his expression that simply said 'Really?' she relinquished them. Loke rummaged for Virgo's key, holding it firmly in his free hand.

"Virg, take a message to the king for me and tell him I'm bringing Lucy to the spirit world so he doesn't have a fit about it later because I didn't take her to visit him."

Lucy tittered cutely at this and with a wave of disbelief he realized he could actually say as much.

"You're adorable when you giggle, you would never peg a giggle like that coming from a hardened spirit mage."

Lucy blushed, her protests about 'breaking' spirit law cut short as she ducked her face to hide behind her hair. His heart soared when she yet again did not pull away.

'That is kind of you big brother,' Virgo cut in, somehow managing to sound smug and monotone at the same time and he painfully realized he was still holding her key. He dropped her key back onto the ring a little rougher than necessary.

There was silence for a short time, and he was still riding the high of just being in contact with her, but as they drew closer to the guild they both sighed and looked at each other, before releasing their hold. Nobody was ready to deal with that just yet, as much as it pained him he wanted to respect her comfort level. Not that the guild wasn't already jumping to conclusions, what with the spying and all. He moodily shoved his hands in his pockets and Lucy smiled at his pouting before stepping in front and opening the door to the guild hall.

"Hey everyone!" she called, but it was instantly apparent to both of them that something was up, the healthy mix of distrusting glares and excited smirks being a dead giveaway.

Loke sighed, pulling at Virgo's key again from the pouch at Lucy's hip as they were approached by Erza.

"I would like to formally apologize for intruding on your private outing earlier, the others merely followed my lead and I am deeply sorry for that," her voice was heavy and dramatic, the regret and sorrow very real and slightly off putting.

"Uh its okay Erza don't worry about it," Lucy tried to console her, hoping to avoid Erza's demand of physical repercussion. Gray and Natsu walked up next, Natsu looking wary but Gray looking smug. Loke avoided his look with a roll of the eyes, muttering instructions to the key in his hand while Lucy spoke with them.

"We wanted to come by to let you know that I'm not going to be around for the rest of the day, we are leaving town. So, you know, I'm not dead or missing or anything."

"Where ya heading?" Natsu asked with genuine curiosity, trying to see if their adventure was worth tagging along with. Loke looked at the dragon slayer firmly, making it clear he was not invited but he might as well have been staring at a brick wall. Gray gave him a curt nod to assure him he got the message, and would enforce it accordingly.

Gray was a good friend.

"The spirit world actually," Lucy informed them, quickly raising her hands and speaking urgently at their shocked expressions. "I won't be gone for months I promise, we are going to Loke's house where the time stream is the same so I won't be gone any longer than I actually _am_ gone."

Lucy might as well have said she was going lingerie shopping with him for what their reactions were, even Gray shooting the lion an angry look.

"Oh Christ's sake have some faith guys," he said crossly, before seeming distracted and referring to the key, "Not you Virg."

Lucy just sighed dramatically, a hand at her temple. She was losing her patience as well, not to mention it was all very embarrassing. Hadn't they all done enough for one day?

Before anyone could jump to anymore conclusions Lucy cried out in relief, "Virgo!" as the small pink haired maid appeared. She had a simple stack of cloth in her hands, and with a quick, "Hello Princess," she changed Lucy in a flurry without even asking, replacing her clothes with tasteful spirit world ones. Lucy held out her arms, examining the cream colored long sleeve shirt with dark blue and gold at the sleeve edges and the practical slacks she now wore, smiling at the gesture.

"And with that," Loke said with finality, "We are off. Thank you everyone, I will now be stealing her away." Without asking anyone Loke put a hand around Lucy's waist and the pair of them vanished in golden magic, Virgo bowing and saying her farewells before following them into the spirit world.

"Bastard better play nice," Natsu muttered, and Gray just shook his head.

Lucy clung to Loke tightly, the rush of power and the feeling of rushing forward disappearing as soon as it came, leaving her a little out of breathe as her human body transitioned to the spirit world. She looked away from her grinning companion and gasped, suddenly finding herself in a gorgeous towering manor consisting mostly of marble, dark wood, and high arching windows.

Loke just watched her as she bravely bounded away from him, feeling at home in his realm so quickly it made him laugh. He had expected her to be timid and slow to move, but the playful girl was darting all over, peering out of the windows with an excited squeal. Despite only being there twice before, she did not look at all out of place with a backdrop of celestial bodies and galaxies pouring their light over her face.

"This is- this is amazing!" her voice was almost reverent, before she twirled to face him, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Your home, it's beautiful! Do you really live here?"

The spirit gave a humble nod, looking around with her as she examined his dwelling, self-consciously trying to remember if there was some unsightly mess anywhere. He hadn't really thought that through, but Virgo was typically pretty quick and she did say she would do it for him before bringing the clothes. Judging by how there wasn't a pair of boxers where Lucy was currently standing it was safe to assume he was in the clear.

"Its gorgeous," she whispered, moving away from him towards where his bed rested on the platform and looking over at his closet and bookshelves. "Is this your room?"

"Yes," he answered quickly, walking towards a sizable oak door that was rarely ever closed since he lived alone, "the rest of the house is this way if you would like to explore. Forgive any mess you might find shoved under a couch somewhere, this was sort of a spontaneous idea," he chuckled, looking at her with a sheepish grin that made her laugh. As she passed him she lightly reached out and touched his arm softly.

"Oh come on you know I don't care," she reassured him, moving out towards what she assumed to be the main room and gaping at the high arched ceiling. Loke walked up beside her and looked up, only just then remembering the intricate designs set in gold that spanned all along the inside of the dome like peak of the living room ceiling. The back drop was an inky dark blue, a favorite in the celestial world, and the lines of gold created a perfect recreation of a star chart, the symbols that represented the spirits attached to the constellations resting alongside them.

"Some are glowing," she stated in fascination, seeming a little overwhelmed. He was suddenly a little embarrassed. If someone who grew up in a billion dollar estate was so impressed with his house he was unexpectedly doubting his idea of what was simple or not.

"Yeah," he replied lamely, "if you have a contract with a spirit their constellation glows. It's always been there, I used to use it to try and remember who else was contracted to the same wizard as me. I don't really need it anymore since you keep it so tight knit."

He looked around while Lucy examined the star chart in amazement, trying to see if anything was too dramatic or over the top. He couldn't think of anything that would come off as such, it just looked like a home furnished by a single man with connections. Nice stuff, but simple stuff.

"Huh," Lucy remarked quietly, drawing his attention. "That one is flickering, really slowly. I don't recognize it." She pointed up at the one in question and sure enough it was.

"That's the constellation of the crow, it must be reacting to the fact that you have his key but not a contract yet."

Remembering the key that waited for her at home, having been dropped off before they went out for lunch, she smiled happily.

She turned slowly, and met his gaze. "Okay kitty, what's on the agenda?"

He started at the term of endearment, if that's what it was. "Are you really going to call me kitty?" he asked, half dismayed and half elated.

She tilted her head and put a finger to her lips cutely, considering the notion. Then she nodded, grinning at him as she took in his conflicted expression.

"Okay, if you're gonna pout. I could call you tomcat, like Carla does," and she laughed out loud as he really started to pout. "Okay okay, I can just figure one out later." She looked him over and grinned again, "So what's the plan Simba?"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide to color in his cheeks at her nicknames. The fact she wanted something special to call him just drove his heart wilder than before.

"I just wanted to spend time here with you, show you my place. We can just hang out, like through the rainstorm." He felt lame, figuring he should have had more of a plan than this, but the idea of seeing her sitting and talking and laughing in his home had suddenly seemed so important to him. Things were so much more permanent in the celestial world, eternal. He wanted to see her there again, in his home, comfortable and happy.

To his relief, Lucy grinned. "That sounds really fun."

She started to wander away, finding her way towards the kitchen and peering in at every pot and pan stashed around. They hardly looked used but that didn't seem so strange. He lived alone, there probably wasn't much call for a full course meal using all the equipment available. She hoped that maybe she could start being a reason for this house to feel a little more lived in, and the thought made her dance a little in place.

This was insane, what she was doing. She had taken a huge step forward, but it felt so nice. So nice to be like this with him.

She spun in place on the marble tile and wrapped her arms around her like she was trying to keep it all in, but a laugh slipped out.

"You seem happy," he commented, overjoyed by how at home she seemed. It looked nice, seeing her dance happily in his home.

"Of course I'm happy," she replied, like the reasons were so obvious no one could miss them. "But don't think I didn't notice," she said suddenly, so sharply and with such attitude that his paranoia kicked in.

"Didn't notice…?" he said quietly, unsure of what she was getting at.

"Everything here looks like its hardly used, but you can see plain as day where you usually spend your time," she started to explain, pacing out of the kitchen and beckoning him to follow. "This seat on the couch, that end of the table, that bit of the armchair," she pointed out one after the other. "But everything else looks just for show. But not that," she turned with finality, and with a look of victory drew his attention to his piano in the far corner and the well-worn bench before it.

Oh.

He pulled his eyes away from the elegant black piano he had always been fond of and settled his gaze on a rather triumphant looking little woman, who crossed her arms and grinned.

"You play piano, and if you think you are getting away with not playing for me you're dead wrong."

The lion was very confident with his skill with the instrument, that wasn't the problem at all. And he had used his skills to impress women in the past, it was more than half the reason he had ever learned in the first place.

It was playing for her that made him nervous as hell.

She approached him then, and reached out and gently took hold of his arms. She pulled him forward until she was wrapped around him, so small and gentle.

He looked down at her, feeling a million things at once, but when she met his eyes all of those feelings faded, and he was left with only a few things.

Calm, admiration, respect, and an overwhelming feeling that was too big for a name.

"I know its a lot to ask, but I would like to hear you play, just one, short song."

He was silent for a time, before he smiled.

"I would be honored to play for you princess."

He pulled away but did not relinquish her completely. He pulled her with him, and sat her gently on the bench with him, wanting her close. She sat obediently and gave him space to spread his arms, watching his fingers eagerly as they rested idly on the keys.

It looked natural for him to be there, she realized, hands poised over the keys. She had imagined he would be cocky and flirtatious but she knew he was showing her something special, a passion he was genuinely proud of.

He considered for a time what to play, and remembered a very simple melody, a soft and haunting song charged with so much emotion, composed on a night that meant so much to him.

It had been his first night home, in the spirit world. His first time in three years seeing that old black piano again, and the home he had spent centuries in. But even with all of that nostalgia, the sound of the song was not like a homecoming, not like a celebration exactly. He had sat down and pressed each of the keys lightly in turn, and then began to try and express what was sitting in his heart. Tried to put a tune to what had transpired, a melody to the emotions raging in him. A song to explain to himself what he was feeling for the woman who had saved his life. A friend, who cared so much about someone she barely knew, about the spirit world and its inhabitants, that she risked her life to save his.

It had come easily, even if the thoughts and feelings were so impossible to sort through. Maybe that's why he always loved playing.

It wasn't something he would ever be brave enough to tell her, but this was the song about the moment he handed her his key. It was Lucy's song.

As his hands came to life, and began to play, he thought he heard something come from her, but the need to play the song right was too urgent for him to stop. But he could sense it, the shock and awe that rushed through her. The sadness and wonder that had tinged that memory for him, and thus the song. Lucy could feel every note, every rise and fall, and the tears came as silently and easily as the smile on her face.

He didn't need to tell her.

She already knew.

 **((Thank you for reading as always, I hope I didn't mess this chapter up, as it is extremely important for the characters. I didn't go the route I had originally planned for this chapter, so I apologize that we did not get to meet Corvus, but I thought this was a good place for this kind of development. I hope the piano part isn't cliché, but it fit his character in my mind. He isn't good about knowing how to feel, so giving him an outlet felt good. To any curious, the song he plays is Adore by Stephan Moccio.))**


	8. An Almost

The song faded and he reached out for her, lifting his hands from the keys and pivoting to straddle the bench. His hands found her face and they leaned towards each other, foreheads touching and sitting in the ringing silence of the last cord.

Despite her tears, Lucy was smiling. "That was…" she couldn't find the words, so she settled for "Thank you."

He smiled sadly, the power of the song still overwhelming him, only the closeness of her enough to draw him out from that potent memory. He moved and buried his face in her shoulder, accepting her into his arms as she hugged him. He ran a hand along her back and felt her shiver, only then realizing that all of this contact was startlingly new for the both of them. It had just felt so normal, so expected of him to show the affection he had felt for a long time now. 'Not too fast,' he reminded himself, settling his hand high on her back. 'Not too much.'

They sat like that for a while, before Lucy said quietly, "You're amazing. Thank you for playing for me, really."

He pulled back a little so he could look at her, the sadness leaving his eyes as he was reminded of the true part of his memory. Not the grief or pain, just Lucy.

"I'll play for you any time, I liked it now that I'm not piss scared."

Lucy laughed and separated for him so she could hold a hand to her face, sliding to the end of the bench but her leg still against his as they both straddled the seat. "Well I'm glad. Play me something else? While I look around a little more."

Loke nodded with a truly genuine smile now, one ear cocking to the side as he considered what to play for her now. She giggled at the movement but still rose to look out at the sky of the celestial world.

He decided it would be something happier, now that they had recovered from the first song, but he liked the theme of playing from his heart.

"I'll just play whatever comes to mind," he told her, watching as she pranced from window to window.

He began to play and the tune was still slow, but watching her kept every sad thought from his mind. He just played, his thoughts flickering to every Lucy smile he had earned, and every laugh he had brought about. Could he really be making her as happy as she made him? The hope that maybe he did powered the song he played.

Lucy smiled, gently swaying to his music, closing her eyes and dancing where she stood.

Loke memorized the scene, so he would never forget it.

Eventually the pair came together again, both secretly wanting to find something to do where they could sit together. They ended up on the couch, different music playing from a lacrima floating nearby and just enjoying each other's company. Loke told grand stories about finding Fairy Tail, his first mission as a guild wizard, his first encounter with Bixlow. Lucy laughed and listened, occasionally commenting. Then he would ask her for stories and she would flounder for anything she thought worth sharing. It flowed naturally, eventually devolving into their new favorite pastime.

"Okay how old are you?"

"Ugh skip," he moaned, wondering how his head had wound up in her lap while she combed through his hair with her slender fingers.

"Oh come on!" she protested and he made another grumbling sound of disinterest.

"It hardly matters you know, I'm a magical being. Age doesn't count here."

"I'm just curious!" she whined and pouted, prompting him to sigh heavily.

"Oh I don't know… human years pass too quickly here. Four days is a year, and I've lived here for centuries so…"

"Centuries?!" she exclaimed but it wasn't that she was surprised exactly. She knew that as long as the stars had shone in the human world the spirits had existed, probably for thousands of years prior as well. It's just considering the twenty something looking man in front of her was actually older than probably her entire realm was… odd. Just with quick math he was AT LEAST 270,000 years old by human standards, and 300 by his own.

He grumbled sourly, not liking the turn the game of questions had taken.

"I don't mind," she said suddenly, attempting to sooth his suddenly rotten mood. He looked up at her curiously and was not quite convinced. Age was a very human thing to be worried about, he was sure it would concern her. "Honestly, I know you aren't human so it isn't the same thing. It's not like the guy I like is suddenly an old fart, you are still you."

He stiffened and looked at her with wide eyes, but by the soft smile and the roll of her eyes it was obvious she said it on purpose. The grin came slowly, then completely over took him until he was giggling happily to himself while Lucy just shook her head. If everything that transpired the past two days wasn't as good as saying point blank she had an interest in him she wasn't sure what he wanted from her. Regardless, she knew it would fix his foul attitude almost instantly.

"I like you too," he felt the need to say, but was silenced by his own purring as she scratched at his ears.

"I know you dummy that's why we're here."

Once he managed to shake off her persistent scratches he fired back with his own question.

"Who was your first kiss?"

She scoffed and her face colored, crossly saying, "Skip!"

"You asked me a stupid question, now I get one."

She glared at him but he was un-phased, just beaming up at her with that stupid handsome grin of his.

She closed her eyes and sighed, finally saying, "I don't know who he was, it was some stupid palace boy. I was like, thirteen I think, and he wouldn't leave me alone. Our dads were making us spend time with each other and he was an entitled little snot. He kissed me out of nowhere." Suddenly her seemingly bad memory made her grin. "I had never made my father so angry before then, he was furious to find his business partner's son on the floor holding his junk from when I had kicked him."

Loke burst out laughing and she joined him, the idea of a little feisty Lucy taking down some jerk who kissed her without asking was too funny. Still, when he finally calmed down he was angry that the memory of her first kiss was ruined.

"Who was your first wizard?" She continued with their game once they had sobered up, and his expression shaped into one of deep concentration.

"… uh. Would you happen to know who the first celestial wizard was? Because it was them."

"Really?!" she exclaimed, "You were contracted to the first celestial wizard ever?"

"I… think so. Yeah definitely, it was kind of a big deal if I remember. First contract with humans, it was the establishment of everything our society is now. My key was the first one made I believe. It was an awfully long time ago I can't really remember."

"Wow…" Lucy whispered in awe, and he resisted the urge to shrug it off. It was probably very interesting for her, but it was just a dull faded memory for him.

"Do you remember any of your wizards from a long time ago?" She asked him, cheating by asking two questions but he understood that it was an important thing for her to know.

"Yes," he reassured her, knowing she was thinking again of how old he was. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to discuss it. "I remember the good ones. There were many cruel masters but the ones who treated us well always stuck out for me in my mind. There are several I feel you would have been good friends with, Orion the most probably." He rolled his eyes at the memory of that particular master. He would have even ventured to say he was his first human friend, and first experience with grief. He didn't care to remember that part.

"He was funny and headstrong, even if he was a pretty pathetic wizard. Great guy, but summoning me was the absolute extent of his magic it took everything he had. Almost killed the poor dude the first time he ever did."

Lucy smiled at his description, relieved to know he remembered those that mattered… She shook the thoughts from her head. This wasn't the time to think about that. It didn't matter, not now anyways.

"I get two," he declared and she conceded, nodding at him to continue.

"Do you have that red dress with you, and can you put it on."

She smacked him harshly on his chest and he couldn't help but laugh, even if it did sting a little.

The rest of their time at his home was amazing, just talking and laughing and making up games to play. At one point she had flicked one of his ears when he said something rude and suggestive, and he found the sensation so terribly uncomfortable he demanded revenge. Lucy had skittered around fearfully on the marble, laughing in delight as she desperately tried to outrun him. He had the home field advantage however and cornered her in his bathroom.

She was still laughing and pleading for forgiveness as she slammed the door shut and locked it, but he simply said, "No getting away from this one Luce!"

For a moment there was silence, and then suddenly he materialized right at her side, causing her to scream as he hoisted her into the air and slung her over his shoulder.

"A soak should be ample retribution!" he decided, carrying the struggling woman with him as he stepped into the massive shower. She wasn't able to wriggle free in time to avoid the initial blast of freezing cold water and she shrieked while he just laughed, managing to hold her there until her entire back was soaked before she leapt from the shower, still laughing and playful as she threw the door open to escape. He tore after her right on her heels as she ran now dripping wet through his house, trying to catch her as she devilishly tried to get back at him indirectly.

She dove onto his bed, rolling through the blankets, soaking everything.

"Hey!" he called after her, getting to the bed himself just as she got up and ran again, heading for the door, laughing hysterically.

That's when she slipped. With all the water on the slick marble floor it was bound to happen eventually, but falling at that speed on something so hard, his heart stopped.

And he had never performed a resummon so quickly.

He flashed to her side just in time to catch her before her head smashed into the solid floor, she didn't even have the chance to scream yet before he was there holding her tightly against him.

His front was as wet as her back but he didn't think she would mind being any more wet than she already was, only concerned for her safety.

He was breathing heavily, having summoned himself to her side twice in the span of a few minutes and she was urgently stammering out something he didn't quite hear. He shook his head to try and clear the dizziness but refused to release her yet.

"You idiot!" he finally heard her say, "You pushed yourself too hard! That has to use up so much magic, Loke can you even hear me?!"

"Yes yes," he reassured her, the spirit world already healing him enough to convince him to lower her gently onto the floor. She pulled him down with her, forcing him to sit. "I wasn't going to let you crack your skull open to avoid a headache," he muttered like it should be plain as day, but leave it to Lucy to prioritize his well-being.

"Still! I mean… thank you, but… UGH," she flung her arms around him, feeling stupid for falling at all.

They were quiet for a little before Loke chuckled, saying, "No more running."

She just nodded into his shoulder. He let her sit without being disturbed for a little before saying, "Lucy?"

Her response took a few seconds to long, and when she lifted her head he could tell she was starting to feel the wear of being in the celestial world.

"LUCY!" he shouted at her, furious all at once and she frowned, having expected such a reaction. "What the hell how long has this been uncomfortable for you?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I want to get used to it!" she defended herself, pulling away from him and creating distance. "I want to be able to come here more and hang out with you, I can handle it! I'm just not used to it you do it for me!"

"I do it all the time Lucy my body has a toler-"

"Well I want a tolerance too! I can deal with being kind of uncomfortable."

She was a little short of breath and he knew it wasn't just because she had been running. It was harder for human bodies to breathe in his world, the spirit world clothing was supposed to take the brunt of it but it wasn't the best quality and she had been there for hours and hours now.

"I'm not leaving," she said crossly, "I like it here I want to be able to come here more."

He sighed heavily, massaging his temple in frustration. "I want that too Lucy of course I do but-"

"You can't protect me from every little thing, being sort of tired and out of breathe is no big deal."

He grimaced. "I damn well can protect you from everything just watch me."

"That wasn't a challenge Loke," she shot back at him, "I don't need you to baby me! You keep me safe and I am more grateful than I could ever say, hell you saved me from a concussion a few seconds ago, but if I say I'm okay then you just have to believe me."

They glared at each other for a while, neither party willing to back down. He knew how damn stubborn she could be, and staying there was definitely something she was going to be stubborn about. Her arms were crossed and her eyes defiant, her confidence and unwillingness to back down usually things he loved about her. Being on the other side of them however was beyond frustrating.

He couldn't help the irritated growl that rumbled from his chest, and was too distracted to notice the way Lucy tensed and her face flushed at first. But as he turned his head to look at her again he noticed the dilation of her eyes and the heat of her cheeks.

"Do you swear you're okay?" he pressed, misinterpreting the reaction.

"Mhm," she answered quickly, looking away and putting a hand to her chest.

He raised an eyebrow, her behavior confusing him. He could sense the sudden increase of her heart rate, but couldn't chalk it up to exposure to the celestial world. It would have been beating quickly already, not all of a sudden.

He tried to think back on his actions, wondering if he had miss-stepped somewhere. Then suddenly a thought occurred to him. The only thing he had done differently…

He growled, on purpose now, low and rolling and powerful, wondering if it had been responsible. What he got in return was completely unexpected.

She gasped, her face now a dark red and he could practically feel the heat from her skin. The way her eyes trained on him and her breath hitched only left one explanation.

He gaped at her, totally thrown off.

She was _aroused_.

"Wait!" he called, lunging forward to grab her before she bolted. "Is that- is that something you like?"

"Shut up!" she demanded, trying desperately to get up and run but his grip was iron, nothing compared to the playfulness of earlier and on top of her humiliation she was also irritated when she realized he had let her get away before.

His own face was slightly red as well, but as he got over the initial shock he was elated.

"Don't be embarrassed!" he pleaded, "Wait it's okay! I'm not making fun of you!"

"Yes you are," she protested, slumping into his hold now that she knew there was no hope of escape. She let her face drop into her hands, doing anything it took to avoid looking at him.

Her reaction had been involuntary, obviously exposure to something so wild was limited in romantic encounters. There had been weak human equivalents she had experienced with previous partners during… intimate activities. She had always loved it then, something about the animalistic rawness to it… but that was nothing compared to the real thing. It was shocking, and it drove her crazy.

She was mortified, but Loke couldn't be more excited. He completely forgot their argument, nearly bouncing in place as he urgently tried to console her.

"I'm not making fun of you I was just surprised I swear! I didn't expect that, don't be embarrassed for liking something. I mean, come on just earlier today I nearly jumped you in a clothing store, you are not the worse for wear here."

She peaked up at him, her face still a blazing scarlet. The comparison did make her feel slightly better, but regardless she knew she needed a little space.

When she tried to pull away this time Loke let her, riding the high of getting that kind of powerful reaction from her. After his pathetic show of weakness at the dress shop he was ecstatic to even the playing field a little.

They both got to their feet and Lucy paced briskly away to find a towel, minding her step as she did. Loke was still smiling like a buffoon when she got back. She started drying the floor and tried to take the embarrassment good naturedly.

'You teased him earlier and he took it like a good sport, you have to cut him a little slack. Even if that was the most humiliating thing that could have possibly happened.'

Loke left to go change, grinning and racking his brain for anything else that might fall in a similar strain. With this revelation some other things started to make sense. The way she looked at him any time he was protective or powerful, or being possessive.

She liked that animalistic side of him, the wild powerful Leo the Lion. There was so much about him just being himself that had led to their closeness and today's events but when it came to intimacy _that_ was what did it.

He was so excited, and a little worked up now. Seeing that _need_ in her eyes, holy crap he needed to chill out. They were not at that stage yet, not even close, but suddenly having the feeling like he knew what would drive her nuts his electric attraction to her was all he could think of. He cared for her deeply and desperately, loving all the little things that made her so utterly perfect, but another much smaller but still powerful part of any building relationship is attraction. And holy shit was that there.

He was thinking of the dress now, and of a million other scenes in his head. Each and every time he had been struck by how _sexy_ \- fuck CALM DOWN. She is still in your house you moron she's a room away and if you don't stop this you are really gonna regret it.

He shook his head and cleared his mind, taking an extra few minutes before returning to the main room. When he got there he could see she was still embarrassed but had calmed down in the other regard. He was a little disappointed, and immediately berated himself for feeling that way.

"Anyways," he said with finality, letting her know in a single word he would leave her alone about it for now, "care for a walk?"

The pair walked through his estate, which was actually a tiny planet floating through celestial space, holding hands like they had been doing it for years. They walked so far and talked so long that eventually Lucy could barely keep her eyes open. It was only then that Lucy gave in to Loke's insistence that she return home.

"You can come back soon," he promised, "but you're tired and need to sleep."

She leaned into him and allowed him to take the two of them through his gate, appearing back into the luckily deserted guild hall. It had to be something like three in the morning now, and he guided her outside and began the journey to her apartment.

She seemed to perk up a little from the cool night air, the heat from earlier dissipating almost completely now and it looked as if another storm was on its way, but regardless Loke used the excuse of her exhaustion to sweep her off her feet. She didn't protest nearly as much as he expected her too, and she soon settled into his hold, curling into his chest. They traveled the rest of the way in that fashion.

Lucy opened the door to her apartment, on her feet now, and locked the door behind her companion as he entered. She yawned heavily, but cut off her spirit as he started to say goodbye.

"We need to do one thing first," she said, excitement apparent in her voice. It was only when she crossed to her table and lifted the small wooden box that he remembered she planned to make a contract.

He just laughed and gestured for her to continue, loving her eagerness to greet a new spirit that was so potent she didn't want to wait till morning. He sat down on her couch, and watched as she took a strong stance and held the silver key in front of her.

"Spirit of the celestial realm, here my call. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate!" She called out powerfully, turning the key in the air and sending a strong pulse of magic through the room before calling, "Open, Gate of the Crow, Corvus!"

Loke leaned forward eagerly as her magic condensed into a single spot before her, a brilliant deep purple magic circle appearing on the floor before there was a sudden flash and he was greeted with the sight of his old friend.

In Lucy's apartment now stood a massive black crow, standing at about half Lucy's height and peering up at her with unnatural powder blue eyes instead of a crow's usual beady black. Its feathers were a deep and shiny oily black, his powerful wings utterly impressive even when folded up. He was mostly normal looking save the slightly glowing light blue eyes, and most noticeably, the bright white professional looking vest set on his torso. He even had a little red hankie tucked into a pocket on the breast.

"I would ask who summons but there is not a spirit breathing who does not know the call of Madame Heartfilia." The words fell from his sharp beak but his voice was surprisingly deep and gravelly, not at all the croaking screech she had expected. The bird bowed, pulling one great wing before him and saying, "Never did I expect to have such an opportunity to serve the greatest celestial wizard to arrive in centuries. I am honored, truly."

Lucy was totally surprised by such sudden and genuine praise, her eyes shining with a mixture of disbelief and pride.

"I am so happy to meet you Corvus, and the honor is mine. Please, if you would have me as your wizard, I would love to sign a contract with you. I have heard great things about you, and to get to know you would be a pleasure."

It was now the crow's turn to be surprised, the expression surprisingly clear on his feathered face.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, suddenly nervous.

"No, nothing. But you speak differently than I am accustomed to. I have never heard a wizard imply that signing a contract was an option before."

Loke smirked, still remaining unseen behind Corvus, watching as Lucy looked upset.

"Of course it's an option, I would never force a spirit to work with me. If you would prefer a different mage I would take every measure to ensure you found a proper wizard."

The shock settled deeper on the bird's face. He took a moment to reply before reverently bowing his head.

"You really are as kind as the rumors have painted you. To come to your call would make me a very proud spirit."

Lucy smiled at this, a happy closed eye Lucy smile. "I look forward to working with you. Your friend told me you were used to ranking, but that isn't how things work with me. You are my equal and my partner, there is no master here."

He looked like the rug had just been pulled out from under him, completely surprised by such an utter upheaval of how things were always done. But through all this shock his addled mind settled on, "You say I was recommended, may I enquire as to who by?"

"Heyo you old crow," Loke spoke up for the first time, grinning happily as his friend turned and caught sight of him sitting casually on the master's couch.

The bird sputtered, if that was even possible with a beak, and exclaimed in surprise, "Sir Leo!"

Loke rose and walked up to the bird, affectionately setting a hand on his head which the creature quickly shook off. "Ya know," he said with humor, "I have had a dozen masters, been banished, nearly died, and returned and I STILL don't like being called sir."

The crow seemed to puff up with pride. "To be recommended by someone such as yourself, I really am honored si- Leo I mean. I don't know what I did to deserve such an honor but I swear on my pride I shall not fail or falter. I shall serve our master with diligence."

"Just Lucy," the spirit mage chimed in, smiling at him kindly when he turned towards her. "I don't like to be called master. I'm your friend first and your wizard second."

Loke looked down at his friend and laughed aloud at his complete confusion. He couldn't resist throwing him off a little more, and walked around him to stand behind Lucy, wrapping his arms around her middle and setting his chin on top of her head in a sign of obvious affection.

The poor bird looked like he had witnessed the scandal of the century.

Lucy blushed at Loke's actions, but figured Corvus should just get every rule and protocol broken in his head now instead of gradually. If her and Loke really did… well if he really did start taking his opportunity to try and court her than the crow was going to be in for quite a ride.

Once he recovered a little, well as much as he could with Loke constantly throwing out 'beautiful's and 'darling's, he immediately signed a contract that only had one hole per month on every third Thursday.

With a shaky bow and a farewell, he vanished, leaving behind a few giant black feathers that Lucy carefully cleaned up.

Loke kept on chuckling to himself for a little while more, but stopped at Lucy's narrowed gaze.

"Oh what?" he teased, his good mood bolstering his confidence, "Should I not have been so forward?"

Lucy's eyes narrowed more as heat settled on her cheeks. "No but-"

Loke strode up to her quickly, pulling her close to him in an intimate embrace with his hands settled low on her back. Teasing was a little different than moving too quickly wasn't it?

"Loke!" she reprimanded him, earning another deep rolling chuckle that she could feel in his chest. She tried to scold him more, but when he looked down at her behind those shades with that confident attractive smirk her words caught in her throat and her heart tried to hammer its way out of her chest. That only made his smirk deepen, his own heart keeping pace with hers as that want registered again in her eyes. She may be timid but he knew now with complete certainty that he had an effect on her, just like she did for him.

He knew he should stop, their faces surprisingly so close. Had they been leaning in? Crap he was doing this wrong, this wasn't the right time he was letting his attraction get the best of him, but wasn't she feeling it too?

He wanted so badly to kiss her, to close that gap but he understood the situation too completely to lapse in such a way. If they made that contact, if they got that close, neither of them would be capable of keeping it from escalating. And that wasn't how he wanted that kiss to be.

He bit his lip hard, using the pain to focus his mind and pulled back, hoping desperately that his hesitation didn't come across as disinterest. He saw her eyes flash to his lips and back again, then it was like something clicked in her head and she pulled back too.

At first she was afraid. He had pulled away, when they were so close to kissing… but when she looked back up to his eyes she saw that… god it could only be described as hunger. She understood, and when her mind was a little clearer, she was grateful. That isn't how she wanted it to be either.

Loke cleared his throat, taking a healthy step back and looking away nervously. 'Nice one, yet another show of complete weakness for her. She has way too much power…'

Not that it was bad per say.

"You're tired," Loke stated matter of factly, still not meeting her eyes. "I should probably get going I've kept you up late enough as it is."

He was still facing away, examining some miniscule detail of a feather Lucy hadn't seen when he felt a gentle pressure on his cheek that shocked every nerve in his body.

Her lips were so much softer than he had imagined, so electric.

She smiled timidly at the way his eyes widened and his face burned a deep scarlet before he was able to look at her. "I uh … uh," he stuttered, his brain shutting down almost completely.

Chalk another up for Lucy.

She tittered quietly before reaching out for him and gently holding onto his hand.

"Thanks for today," she whispered, like she was too nervous to raise her voice and possibly shatter the moment. "I… I had a really nice time. I'd like to do it again sometime…" her voice petered out and even through his own flustered haze he could see the nervous yet hopeful shine in her eyes. "Will- will I see you again tomorrow? At the guild maybe?"

'More time' his thoughts raced, 'more time even more time I can see her as much as I like now. She wants to keep seeing me she had a good time she didn't leave. She wants to see me again tomorrow, again even though we've been together so much she really wants that.'

Lucy tilted her head cutely, sort of accepting that her lion had pretty much frozen up now. She sighed fondly, giving him another timid but genuine Lucy smile before saying, "I'll see you then kitten," and pulling back her hand to push him firmly on the chest.

He was so flustered and chocked up from the simple kiss on the cheek he only managed to say, "Kitten?" before his lack of concentration finally compromised his presence in the human world and he vanished in a flash of light.

 **((Okay, I promise I'll progress things along plot wise next chapter, and I'm sorry if it comes off as rambling at all, but I think the little steps in their closeness is important to show. Also does anyone else love Corvus? I've been drawing him in my sketchbook for ages now I love him so much.))**


	9. A Monster

In retrospect he would feel stupid. He was laid out flat on the marble floor of his bedroom where he had appeared once he left Lucy's, making no attempt to move. For the time being though he was alone, and no one was going to see. So he just let the laughter come, building from a giggle to a chuckle, his face red and his smile wide and dopey. He raised a hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes to dry the tears of happiness before saying quietly to himself, "Kitten."

He lifted his arms to hug his middle, staying put on the ground where he had fallen, saying the nickname a few times more before collapsing back into happy laughter, the place on his cheek where she had kissed him even warmer than his flushed face.

He did manage to make his way to his bed at one point or another, only hoping for sleep so that the time might pass quicker and he could be with her again.

When Lucy woke up it was with a gasp, her whole body hot enough to put a furnace to shame. She kicked off the blankets and turned, curling in on herself with wide unseeing eyes. What the _fuck_ was that dream about. It was still so fresh in her mind, a dream where Loke didn't say goodnight, or rather she hadn't let him. She saw it in intense flashes of memory, now mortified in her waking hours to recall her own hands pushing him against the door and grabbing at him. How immediately he had fallen into it, his large hands planting firmly on her hips and taking control of the situation. He was so strong he could move her in any way he wanted, lifting her up so her legs surrounded him and he carried her to her room. The rest was very… detailed, and considering it now that she was awake made her curl in even tighter, her face and body so flushed that even laying on the bed quickly became uncomfortable. She needed to cool down, in every sense of the phrase.

She dashed to the shower, ignoring the pounding headache that came with too little sleep and turning her shower to the most powerful rush of water capable of her cheap shower head. She tried to drown out her sudden weariness in the pounding of the freezing water, shaking her head and letting the water massage her scalp. It was probably only seven in the morning from the way she was feeling, only four hours of sleep, but she knew that with dreams like that she would not be getting rest anytime soon. It was time to start the day, and find distraction in ANYTHING that was not quite as… well, _intimate_.

She shivered from the chill of the water but was grateful to it, knowing it was her savior in this instance. He- he was her spirit wasn't what they were already doing improper enough?

'Rules are already broken why not break them a little more?' her thoughts supplied unhelpfully, her face still managing a flustered scarlet despite the downpour. She groaned aloud purely for the satisfaction of it, pressing her forehead into the shower wall. Her worrisome brain had already checked the laws on spirit/wizard relations, or rather had Crux do it, some time ago. She had told herself before she was just educating herself but when Loke and her had started spending more time together she knew that was a bald faced lie. Whether she was aware of it or not she had been hoping for something like this to happen.

It hardly mattered anymore, what was important was that she knew it wasn't illegal, having a relationship with a spirit, it was just very uncommon. Hell there was actually a text written by celestial wizards hundreds of years prior _encouraging_ it because it increased the spirit's power if they had a bond. She had been disgusted by the angle, shaking with anger at the idea of wizards manipulating spirit's into meaningless relationships for a power boost. The idea that wizards like that even existed… Still she knew she wasn't like that, and was proud to be one of the good wizards Loke would go on to remember.

So saying that rules were broken was probably unfair, but the way things were usually done was certainly in shambles. Poor Corvus. With another groan just for show she realized her recent closeness with her lion spirit was probably all over the celestial world by now, more likely than not supplied by a flustered crow meeting the others in his team for the first time under a new master.

Jeeze…

She shut off the water, softly pounding her head against the wall in time with her pulsating headache. Despite her embarrassment of being in the public eye she still wanted to summon him (once she was dressed obviously), pathetically already missing him. But until the last dredges of her active imagination had faded she was going to enjoy a quiet morning alone. Plus he was probably still asleep.

She sauntered through her home dripping wet, idly wondering if she should be more careful about casual nudity considering the frequency of home invaders. She managed to towel off and throw on a green top and brown skirt without incident though, standing in the middle of her room wondering what she should do. The idea of preparing breakfast was annoying, putting effort into anything with the headache she had seemed annoying, so she decided to let someone else do the cooking and grabbed her purse and key pouch to find a diner in town. The walk ought to do her some good anyways, and by the time she was done she could check in on her lion and see where he was.

She made it out onto the street and halfway to downtown before she got cold. Another storm was definitely on its way, the chill in the air was evidence enough of that. 'Well I don't want to get _sick_ ' her mind giving her the excuse she needed to stop in at a clothing store. She was grinning happily to herself, silently convincing herself she needed a cute cold weather outfit anyways as she splurged a little. By the time she left she had on a brand new brown leather jacket with a far right sided zipper and a cute beige scarf with gold specks around her neck. Her new jeans hugged her closely but kept her far warmer than the skirt had. The hair clip of fall colored leaves didn't do much for warmth but… well whatever it was cute and fall was basically in full swing now so it was appropriate.

She pouted, feeling adorable but also very light of pocket. Even after such a high paying mission with the ball she had spent a LOT of money recently and was going to have to get back to doing missions today. She had been hoping for another free day but… well money made the rules sometimes.

'Welp I need to get work today anyways so what's the harm of emptying out the pocket change?' She reasoned with herself as she enjoyed a generous breakfast, setting her purse down on the table that teetered off balance from the bulge created by the skirt now stored inside. That was about ALL that was in it now after footing such a large bill but whatever, her coffee was perfectly roasted and the fresh fruit and strawberry topped waffles was worth it.

'Treat yo self,' she mused, smiling to herself before hearing someone nearby say, "Well aren't you a pretty little lady."

Lucy tensed, looking up at the large man who was approaching her table. He was stacked to put it mildly, with a big square head and thick jaw that made him look altogether unfriendly, the smug grin not really helping in that regard. He only had on a black t-shirt and jeans, the cold not seeming to bother him as it did the others in town. Why else would the outdoor seating be completely abandoned at basically every café on the street, essentially leaving her alone with this stranger intent on bothering her?

'Hooray,' she thought humorlessly, 'Creeps are no longer contained to nighttime.'

"Um, hi," she said uncomfortably, jolting slightly as he took the seat opposite her. His gross leering smile made her hand twitch for her keys. 'It isn't cool to use magic on non-wizards out of nowhere, he hasn't done anything yet.'

He leaned forward, "What's a gorgeous little girl like you doing eating all alone?"

"Enjoying some peace and quiet," she responded curtly, hoping to get the message across that he wasn't invited to join her, but it only made his smile deepen.

'Creep,' she thought with a snarl, making a show of reaching for her coffee and taking a sip, not attempting to be subtle with the display of her guild mark. His eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of it, knowing instantly that she was a wizard and probably a dangerous one if she was with Fairy Tail, but to her slight unease it only seemed to excite him.

"I'm not really one for quiet," he said, his voice almost a threat and his eyes looking over her body and making her shiver in discomfort.

"What do you want?"

"You, and I tend to get what I want." Lucy blanched at his blatant demand, the threat level in her head skyrocketing. He grinned again, standing and saying, "Let's get out of here."

Lucy stood to face him, her hand flying to her keys without hesitation now. This dude was either brave or stupid, doing something like this in the middle of town in broad daylight. The only thing it really meant to her was that this guy wasn't afraid of being spotted, because he had no fear of being stopped. Which meant he was dangerous.

"Stay the fuck away from me," Lucy spat at him, but froze in fear as she realized she couldn't open her key pouch. It was like the leather had become stone, completely unmovable and locking the keys inside.

"Aw what's wrong scared without your toys?" He laughed loud and cruelly, flicking his hand and Lucy sensed the magic a second too late before it hit her. Her clothes felt like they had been petrified, looking absolutely normal but now as strong as a steel casing. Breathing all at once became almost impossible.

"See that's why I like cute little girls with tight clothing, makes it damn hard to breathe, let alone move." He closed the distance, Lucy using the little freedom she had with her neck to pull her face away from his as he got closer to her. She couldn't scream, she couldn't expand her lungs at all with how little room she had to move. The bastard had waited until she was on the exhale and she had the least amount of space. Far as she could tell it didn't affect her body, just her clothes, but that was enough to be a problem.

"Dark wizard," she wheezed, her lungs now working double time to try and keep her conscious with the miniscule breaths she could take.

He smiled, picking her up like she was nothing and starting to walk through town like he was invincible. "Yup, wanted pretty badly cause I'm know for a healthy appetite when it comes to little ladies who think they are strong enough to stop me. It's so fun to make them powerless and see how afraid they get, guild wizards make the best fights cause they are so damn full of themselves," he smiled and she could practically feel the sickening enjoyment he was getting from this, "Cause you can't do jack shit now can you?"

She used her little breaths to try and speak again, the sudden steel of her clothes cutting into her as she was carried and hurting her. She wasn't scared though, not like he wanted her to be.

"What was that little one? Trying to cast a spell or something?" he questioned her, shaking her and laughing at the sound of pain she managed.

She shook her head, starting to feel the lack of oxygen and spoke again.

"Loke…" she wheezed, finally managing his name. She grinned in relief when she saw a flash of light fill the street, but stopped when she felt his fury.

She couldn't see him from her position, but she could hear the quake in his voice and the rage that dwelled behind it.

"Put. Her. _Down_."

Her captor stopped walking, but she felt him laugh. "Who are you? Come to save her? Or come to share?"

Lucy expected a dashing line about being her knight in shining armor, or even a hint of that bravado he always had even in the most dire of situations but it wasn't there. There was no playful tone, no joke, it was like he was a completely different person.

"Put her down or I will rip you apart."

Her captor started to say something but took a sharp step back as his retort was cut off by a vicious snarl. It was terrifying, transforming into a deep and powerful growl that resonated off of every wall, and it wasn't even remotely close to human.

"What the fuck _are_ you?" the dark wizard started to say, before Lucy felt a rise in magic and he said, "Fuck this."

Lucy tried to scream, to warn him to run but there wasn't time. Loke was about to be as stuck as she was, but in the small space of time when the spell was cast, her captor muttered, "W-What?" and the light in the alley became overwhelmingly bright.

'Regulus,' Lucy's dimming thoughts peddled desperately, 'Of course. It's protected him from worse when he has fought in the past, and when he is this angry…'

She paled at the thought. Nothing could halt rage like this.

She couldn't see what happened next, but felt two things at once. The first was the sensation of being pulled backwards, and the second was feeling her kidnapper shoot out from under her, flying into her field of view back the way they had come. His large solid body rag dolled viciously as it flew and skated along the cobbled street, slamming hard into a wall and falling limp. Lucy dragged in a painful breath as his magic suddenly vanished in time with his form becoming frighteningly still so far down the street, allowing her to move at last as she sagged into her saviors arms.

"Are you okay."

Lucy looked up with startled eyes at Loke when she heard the tension behind the words. His face was twisted and dark, his eyes filled with murderous intent and his whole body taunt with the attempt to restrain that intent. She was aware all at once that her presence in his arms was the only thing keeping him from ripping the dark wizard to pieces, who still hadn't moved.

"Yes," she lied, ignoring the pain in her neck and chest and focusing completely on her spirit. She hated to think it, but the look in his eyes frightened her. And she was forced to remember that the kind and gentle man she knew was also, in reality, a lion. A wild, terrifying lion.

He seemed aware that he was scaring her, but his thoughts were so clouded by the potency of his rage that it was all he could do to stay still. He focused everything on her, her warmth and solid weight in his arms. He gripped her tightly, like she was a life boat and in a way she was. She was the only thing keeping him even vaguely sane. Even vaguely human.

"You look nice," he heard her say suddenly, and the sentence seemed so wildly out of place that he actually looked away from the vile wizard's body to look down at her, not sure what emotion was displayed on his face. Shock registered somewhere in the sea of red, because she was smiling at him. "I like your suit," she continued, "It makes you look very handsome, well everything does. It's probably impossible for you to look unattractive with an ass like that."

…what?

He couldn't manage to feel flustered or prideful like he usually might, though he could feel himself memorizing the sentence to be replayed later for satisfaction's sake. He was mostly confused, and distracted from the task at- oh.

He understood now. Clever, she actually got him to look away. With the moment of slight clarity she provided he was able to feel grateful to her. She was trying to keep him from becoming a murderer.

"I can't look at him," he hissed, his words being broken by the growls he couldn't stop. He doubted she liked those very much right now. "If I do I'll kill him Lucy."

She nodded, and he was relieved to see that she didn't seem to blame him. She understood, even if it scared her.

He kept his eyes exclusively on her face and she did the same, summoning Taurus without looking and giving him instructions. The bull raised an eyebrow at what he was seeing but elected to say nothing of it, eventually muttering something about how he was jealous Leo got to hold the mistress like that before departing to take the unconscious man to prison.

All in all the situation started and was defused in less than ten minutes, but the aftermath was much more potent. She handled everything now with more care and caution then she had even used when she was being carried away by a serial rapist.

Loke wasn't sure how he felt about that.

She examined his face and the tautness of his jaw hadn't eased, he was shaking.

"He was going to- just like that that _bastard_ was going to-" he was unable to continue, the growling shaking his entire body. He sounded like an animal, he _felt_ like an animal. The only thing he could think about was someone trying to hurt her, someone trying to hurt her like _that_. He could picture it perfectly, her screaming out and crying and trembling with fear as he- He couldn't see, everything was red again, he couldn't even feel Lucy anymore. It was like she was already gone, like he hadn't arrived in time.

"I'll kill him," he shouted out, "I'm going to kill him!" His voice sounded pleading, like he didn't have a choice and was afraid of the consequences because that's how it felt. That man's fate was sealed in time the second he targeted her. His death was a fact that could not be altered.

"No you're not," she whispered calmly, and he heard it loud and clear, over everything even his own animalistic rage. Nothing was red anymore, it was black. He realized slowly that he couldn't see, he couldn't hear anything except for Lucy, the only thing he could feel was the heat in his arms not the bite of the cold wind or the hard street beneath him. Like he was in a void.

"Lucy," he said her name, unsure if he even had because he couldn't hear it, or feel the words.

"It's okay," she replied, and he knew she had heard him, she could always hear him. "I'm using your key to create a sensory blackout. I am the only thing you can feel right now, I'm the only one you can hear. Everything's okay now."

He tried to protest, to move, but the sensation of moving wasn't there even if he was sure he was.

"Don't try to move, you'll fall. Just focus on me. I'm okay Loke, you saved me. You saved me, because of you I am okay. You are the reason I am okay now, you heard me call. I'm alive and happy and will be able to continue on thanks to your actions. You saved me, and I am grateful."

Her words poured and fell and they were almost overwhelming because they were the only thing he could hear, she was the only thing he could feel and he clung to her body and her voice to avoid drifting off into a void of sensation.

He started to calm down, listening to her as she repeated the same things again and again. He knew what she said was true now. He had saved her, he had done the right thing. The man was gone and could not hurt her, and he didn't need to die because she would never be at risk, because he would always be there to protect her.

He had no way to gauge how long this went on for, but he was aware of sensation the second it returned, shocking compared to the darkness he had been in before. He was sitting now, relaxed and leaning against his master. They were still in the middle of the street, but luckily there was no one around yet, and slowly, unsure of himself, he met her eyes.

She smiled again, her eyes were cautious and concerned. Leave it to Lucy to focus on someone else's well-being when _she_ was the one in danger.

"Are you afraid of me," he asked, and the fear and guilt over his own loss of control overwhelmed him. He had almost completely lost it, if Lucy hadn't been there he would have killed. But if Lucy hadn't been there, he would have never reached that level that he was sure of. She was the only thing that could scare him that much, the only thing that losing would turn him into a monster.

"No," she replied, and her voice was miraculously calm. "I will never be afraid of you, because I know you would never hurt me. I was afraid _for_ you."

"Were you afraid of him?" He questioned, his voice dull and heavy.

"No," she answered, "Because I knew if I called you would be there. And even if I didn't you would still appear. I know he would have never been able to hurt me, because you would come."

It was unlike her, to state dependence on someone. She always wanted to be able to take care of herself, but she knew that's not what he needed just then. Later he might, but for now he needed to know that he would always be there for her, stated like a fact.

He sagged, the drain of his rage hitting him hard. He had felt like a beast for the first time in his existence, never before had he felt so much anger. But the fear of someone violating her like that set up against the stark contrast of happiness and nervous infatuation from the past while, it had been violent inside of him. Since he had finally achieved a kind of closeness to her that was so new and so precious to him, encountering this type of confrontation had almost been too much. Is this how he would react any time she was in danger? How could she not be afraid of a monster like that? He tried to reason with himself that this was an extreme situation, that just standard fights in missions couldn't possibly feel like this, but it still felt so harsh. He had always felt protective of his master, brought to anger whenever she was put in danger, but this… he had been terrified. Terrified that she would be hurt in such a horrific and traumatizing way. It was more potent than any mindless violence, because a broken arm couldn't damage the soul of a person as that kind of violation could.

He knew with every fiber of his being that he could never allow her to be harmed like that, he would rather die.

He didn't need to say it aloud for Lucy to understand his utter defiance to leaving her side any time soon. She was quiet as they stood and began to walk slowly towards the guild hall, and his shame led him to believe it was because she was afraid of him, regardless of what she said. In reality, she was trying to sort through his motivations in her mind, and everything pointed to one conclusion. He really cared so powerfully and so deeply that her being in danger like that drove him to the edge of his sanity. He really cared so much… that he would almost become a monster to save her, and _stop_ himself from being that monster because he knew she deserved more than that.

"Loke," she said suddenly, the first thing said in fifteen minutes. She grabbed his hand, and forced him to stop, but his conflicted feelings over his actions kept him from looking at her.

"Loke," she said again, releasing his hand and reaching up to hold his face.

His eyes seemed ancient, showing his real age for the first time, so old and weary. He resisted her pull at first, but eventually met her intense gaze. She could see confusion and interest flash through his eyes as he saw the affection and determination in her own, but the deep shame was still there in his aged green irises.

One hand dropped to his tie, gripping it softly at first, but them more firmly as some fierce emotion overwhelmed her. He watched her, confused and slightly nervous as she seemed to decide something. Then, he felt her pull at his tie and bring his face down to her level, and before he could even react, she was kissing him.

The reaction in him was instant, instinct driving him to return the contact with every unspoken word. Every time she had ever laughed or smiled, the way he felt when she saved his life, the way he felt when they ran through the rain, how it had felt to have her confide in him. He pushed against her, one hand cupping her face and the other falling to the small of her back as he was overwhelmed, pulling her to him in the way he had always wanted to. Not fueled by attraction alone, but by emotion, by the need to _show_ her the feelings he had no words for. Her lips glided over his and all of his memories of her flashed through his head. The way she twirled and played when they had sat with their feet in the tub, the timid shyness when she asked to pet his ears, the way she looked in the ball gown, the way she didn't pull away when they danced together. How she had looked when she danced slowly against the backdrop of the celestial world while he played for her, and the emotion in her eyes just before she kissed him.

Lucy let every wall collapse, every stubborn instinct fall away as she gave in completely, and put everything on the line. No more reservations, no more doubt. This was the man who would waltz to the brink of his sanity to save her, and return to care for her, and she knew with every cell of her that she would do the same for him. In a heartbeat, and never think twice of it. Regardless of her fear of being hurt, or loving in vain she had already loved so deeply. How long had she been ignoring it? Pushing it away? She told herself his feelings couldn't be real but she had always known, always seen the truth behind his front. He was afraid too, afraid to let his guard down, it was so much safer to flirt and brush it off, but there were things that couldn't be faked.

The look in his eyes when he went to see her one last time at the bath house.

The desperation in her voice when she put her life at risk to save his.

The fierceness with which he told her to run, so he could face Caprico alone.

The way she had tried so long to defy him, and stay at his side.

His joy to be asked to stay through the storm.

The racing of her heart as she decided to stay in his arms through their dance.

The power behind the song he played.

The tears on her face when she heard it.

Those were things that could not be done halfheartedly, or with any hint of insincerity. Those were the times they had shown each other how much the other meant to them when they never had the words to say it. The times they showed how it felt to find home again, to find their home in each other.

And in that moment he knew she didn't think of him as a monster, or see him as the beast he was afraid of being.

This was what they had wanted this kiss to be.

The kiss that said everything they hadn't, overflowing with every lost chance to say I love you.

The kiss that said _welcome home_.

 **((Author's Note: And here it is, the big chapter, the first kiss. Please let me know what you think, I did everything I could to try and show the way they both decided to stop being scared and just love each other. I believe there will be one more chapter to this story, but I fully intend to write others, perhaps even a sequel to this one!))**


	10. A Story

It was Lucy who finally pulled away from the kiss, her breathing heavy as she separated from him. She was trembling, just slightly, the fierce tidal wave of emotion racking through her as she struggled to sort through it all. The only thing that made sense was him, and yet everything that seemed so new and terrifying was him as well, like a thousand roads that crossed and turned but all led to one place, all arrived at the same conclusion. Loke.

He was definitely feeling overwhelmed as well, she could sense it in every pore of his being but it was all trounced by an all embodying sensation. Complete relief, and happiness. He was happy, and so was she, really truly happy, even if they were nervous of it all.

She laughed a shaky airy laugh and kept her eyes on his wrist, transfixed by the gentle but powerful hand still cupping her cheek. "What, no fancy lines kitten?"

That got a laugh out of him, and it sounded like a release of tension from behind a dam of anxiety, making her smile more at ease and his gaze easier to match. "Oh I'm sorry hang on give me a second, I'm sure I have something."

He looked up and to the right, a look of false contemplation exaggerated on his features and she laughed again. He swiveled an ear flat against his hair like he was really putting some thought into it and it made her laugh even more, the grin impossible to keep from his face as she started to giggle uncontrollably. He couldn't help but fall into it as well, the sound of her laugh like a wash of cool water that cleared him out of all the tense, exhausting emotion he had experienced in such a short time. That kiss… had been so powerful, so charged and meaningful, that it gave him both unbelievable closure and unsettling uncertainty. What happened now? What did he do? What were the right words after something like that, after everything in your life was tied to one person and one person only. He had already been committed in his love to Lucy, as well as to her with his contract, but there was always that spare lifeline, that one doubt that would be able to say "I told you so!" and pretend like it had always seen it coming when his love was ultimately rejected. Now though… she severed every doubt, every lifeline with one action, and it was simultaneously the most freeing, and terrifying thing, because now if he messed up if he did something wrong… he had no idea how he would survive that.

'But you don't need to,' his thoughts comforted him as he and Lucy laughed and embraced each other, 'because she's here. She's here with you and she's _yours_. No matter what happens now, right now in this point and time she has completely accepted you… and I really don't think that is ever going to change.'

He smiled into her hair as he buried his face in it, tears blotting and marring his glasses. It wasn't very macho to cry, but this was sort of a big deal for him. An immortal being capable of true and complete love, a moment in time that will always mark a before and after for as long as his stars burned in the sky. Who would have thought.

"Guess I've got nothing," he finally admitted, shrugging his shoulders, "there just aren't words in any language that could ever compliment someone as radiant as you."

She pushed away from him and batted at his arm, exclaiming, "Oh that was terrible!" before taking his hand confidently in hers. Her smile was so bright and vivid it felt like he actually needed his shades for once when stood before such shining beauty. Oh that wasn't half bad maybe he should say that, or maybe not, it was pretty pathetic. So was he though. A spirit who was totally and completely pathetically in love.

Lucy seemed to sober up slightly, a look of wariness crossing her face as she let out and exasperated chuckle.

"Well we are right down the street," she finally spoke, gesturing towards the looming guild hall that had been their destination, and he suddenly understood her preemptive exhaustion.

"Ah… yes. They will probably be pretty excited, or angry. Or both." He idly considered if he was up for a battle with Natsu and Gray that was sure to follow the announcement that they were-

Were…

"Um," Loke stammered, drawing Lucy's attention from the towering building, "we are… uh- right?"

Her face was blank for a second before completely exasperated frustration overtook her expression and he chuckled nervously. "Oh come on!" she whined, "Do I seriously need to spell it out for you that I'm your girlfriend now?"

"That would make me feel better yeah."

She groaned and threw her palm into her face at his idiotic uncertainty. She had to admit it was kind of cute how shy he was about it, but come on.

"We are dating," she said with a faked scowl of annoyance, "I am your girlfriend. Your ONLY girlfriend that you will have."

He frowned at her implication that he would still keep the harem going after such an intense proclamation of wordless love but she pressed on.

"You," she gently poked a finger at his chest, "Leo the lion, Loke the dunce, are my boyfriend."

"Your ONLY boyfriend," he added, trying to ignore the shiver of satisfaction he got from her using his real name, and she raised an eyebrow at his need to level the accusation.

"Better?" she asked, and her usually tenderness returned as she dropped the pretense.

"Better," he replied.

"I KNEW IT!" a shrill scream pierced the air and the couple jumped at the intensity of the sound, both paling slightly as they spotted Mirajane standing (more like bouncing) in the road leading to Fairy Tail.

"I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I TOLD YOU HE WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU I TOLD YOU I SAW IT FROM A MILE AWAY!"

The two let out a nervous chuckle and clung a little harder to the others hand as more and more of their guild mates started to appear, alerted by Mirajane's screeches of joy. Loke just draped his arm possessively over Lucy and gave off the universally readable male sign of "Mine" that sent a thrill of joy through her. Gray, Natsu, and Erza made it to the front of the crowd with ease, and each leveled Loke with a deadly stare that he matched with complete confidence. Even Erza's attempt to test him didn't frighten him in the slightest, because when it came to Lucy there was nothing now that he was more completely sure of than his love for her, and he would fight every one of them if that's what it took.

The way he stood, matching their gaze and accepting their challenge to prove he was deserving of their friend reminded everyone of his true origin as a lion. Proud, powerful, and ready to prove himself without any trace of fear.

There was a beat of silence and Lucy waited with tension in her shoulders.

Then grins spread across each of her team mates faces. Erza closed her eyes and nodded her head to the lion in recognition, Natsu crossing his arms and giving that genuinely happy dragon slayer grin as he accepted his claim, and Gray just giving that haughty smirk that basically said, "About damn time."

Lucy let out a heavy breath and she felt Loke do the same though he would probably never admit to it, relieved that her admittedly overprotective friends weren't going to put Loke through the gauntlet, having already been convinced that he was worthy. He had enough on his plate today as it was.

The elated crowd of Fairy Tail overtook the newly announced couple and buried them beneath an absolute onslaught of well wishes and congratulations, but no matter how many people rushed up to them as they were ushered inside the two never lost contact with one another, holding each other all the while in one way or another. Far overhead, on the balcony railing of the third floor sat an old man, smiling gently to himself.

Makarov watched as his children funneled inside, no doubt to start some kind of impromptu celebration, and allowed himself to feel the joy he had in its purest form. The joy of seeing happiness in the lives of your dearest children, brought together by new and powerful bonds of love and loyalty. His heart felt light and young, filled with the love he felt for all who bore the mark of Fairy Tail. With a chuckle he hopped down to find his way inside himself, his thoughts turning to what he hoped would be a new addition to his beloved family someday down the road. He pictured tousled and knotted light ginger hair and deep pleading brown eyes asking grandpa Makarov for another story, and settling down to tell a tale to perhaps give the parents a moments respite from their child's endless search for adventure. Maybe he would be retired by then, with more time to gather any members of the newest generation around as he began a new story. A story about a wandering lion made of light who had never stopped roaming since the stars appeared in the sky, and of the princess who called out to him. Until finally one day, he stopped,

And stayed.

 **((I am sorry this is horrendously short, but it felt like it was over. I didn't want to tact this on at the end of chapter nine, but didn't want to drone on when ending here felt more natural. I think it fits, and I hope you all enjoyed the story** **J** **I had a lot of fun writing it and your support and favorites have meant the world to me. Thank you all so much! Please, leave in the review of this chapter what you would like to see next. A continuation of this perhaps? Where Lucy's mortality weighs heavily on Loke's mind? Or fluff, details of their lives together. Or a totally new story all together! Let me know, and thank you again. Bye for now!))**


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